
Equitable Recovery Means:
Quality Jobs; Workplace Protection; and Equitable Recovery Resources
Black workers remain rocked by the convergence of three pandemics: COVID-19 and the disproportionate loss of life; state violence, which has taken the lives of so many members of our communities; and chronic unemployment and poverty jobs.
Equitable and adequate coronavirus recovery resources that are intentionally earmarked for Black working families in Southern California to address racial and economic disparities laid bare by the crisis, including disproportionate loss of income due to unemployment and exposure to unsafe working conditions as essential workers in low-wage industries such as warehousing, fast food, and retail sectors. Black workers are twice as likely to face retaliation when reporting COVID-19 unsafe conditions and race-based discrimination at work. We call on the state to ensure deep long-term recovery resources that ensure Black workers receive quality jobs and public employment benefit; enforced right to be recalled to work, and robust anti-discrimination and anti-retalition protections in the workplace and in housing_ otherwise Black workers are likely to experience longer periods of unemployment and higher rates of eviction for decades to come.