Face of Nation International : People of color make up a disproportionate share of workers in the industries where layoffs are the most intense and only expected to get worse. About 70 percent of the nation’s hotel maids are people of color — as are 57 percent of those working as restaurant head chefs and cooks, and 42 percent of all waitstaff.
People of color make up a disproportionate share of workers in the industries where layoffs are the most intense and only expected to get worse. And while all of America will feel the economic effect of the pandemic, experts warn that lower-income workers of color could be hit particularly hard.
“In terms of the economic situation, all you have to do is look around the corner and you can see that for us, for people of color, we are overrepresented in the low-wage workforce and in the very industries we already know to be taking serious hits,” Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, said. “Without federal relief, the right type at the right time, this could be entirely catastrophic.”
As of now, the nation’s latest $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill includes a four-month income replacement allowance for many of those out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also expands unemployment benefits and provides direct supplement payments to many American households. Most workers earning $75,000 or less will receive $1,200, according to the bill, with the benefit amount scaling down for people earning more. Many families will receive a $500 direct payment for each child. The bill will also send cash to businesses, hospitals and states to cover some costs associated with the crisis and lost tax revenue. Provision for immigrants — documented and undocumented — were not clear as of Wednesday afternoon.
“Is it enough? I can not say that it is,” Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said Wednesday. She said the Caucus, along with other groups, was reviewing the bill and working to identify issues to address in subsequent bills. (Source: NBC News- USA)
