New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has named his wife, Chrilane McCray, as the co-chair for a coronavirus taskforce on racial equality.
The group will focus on racial issues that have come to light during the coronavirus pandemic – which has seen black people the most affected.
“We’re seeing a really disturbing disparity where people of African descent are being hit very hard by this disease, disproportionately hard,” de Blasio said on the New York Amsterdam News podcast. “And it goes back to a lot of things we all know too well; it goes back to massive disparities in health care predating this crisis.”
About 28% of COVID-19 deaths in New York City were black people, according to WABC.
According to a statement on the mayor’s website, the taskforce will engage the hardest-hit communities, monitor response and recovery efforts in those neighborhoods, identify needs associated with minority and women-owned businesses and community health care providers.
McCray will be leading the group along with Deputy Mayor Phil Thompson, and it will include members from de Blasio’s administration.
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