Stepping Forward to Advance Racial Equity
from STEPPING FORWARD SPECIAL EDITION OF CONNECTIONS
Advocates and activists have always been at the leading edge of historic policy advances and lasting societal changes. The call for racial justice that swept the country in 2020 led to the emergence of new voices and young leaders who present a generation-defining moment for making systemic changes that advance racial equity.
COVID-19 has caused disproportionate suffering for Black and Brown communities, exacerbating longstanding health, economic, education and other disparities.
The percentage of adults experiencing food insecurity, for example, ranges from 22% and 27% among Black and Latino adults, respectively, compared to 9% among white adults according to the 2020 DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey data.6
Gender disparities have also worsened since the start of the pandemic. Nationally, four times more women left the workforce than men in September 2020. In Connecticut, 75% of initial and continuing unemployment claims were made by women without a college degree.7
![DataHaven Chart](https://d33euwcbjqojuo.cloudfront.net/images/Stepping-Forward-Data-charts/data-chart-2.jpg)
![Job Cut Chart](https://d33euwcbjqojuo.cloudfront.net/images/Stepping-Forward-Data-charts/covid_job_losses.png)
![Age-Adjusted Chart](https://d33euwcbjqojuo.cloudfront.net/images/Stepping-Forward-Data-charts/data-chart-1.jpg)
Sources:
6 2020 DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey and COVID-19 Response Wave
7 Essential Equity: Women, COVID-19 and Rebuilding CT