Georgia Legislative Black Caucus Issues Statement on CDC Study Citing Racial Disparity in COVID-19 Cases

ATLANTA – The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus (GLBC), chaired by State Representative Karen Bennett (D-Stone Mountain), today issued the following statement in response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recent study of Georgians hospitalized with COVID-19:

 

“At a time when Governor Kemp has reopened certain businesses and allowed the shelter-in-place order to sunset, this revealing study highlights what many in our community already know: African Americans are disproportionately suffering from COVID-19. In a CDC study of 305 persons hospitalized for COVID-19, 83 percent of were black Georgians. For families and businesses, the devastation might be incalculable and unimaginable.

“Based on this data, we urge the governor to issue another shelter-in-place executive order, investigate why African Americans are more susceptible to this disease, oversee efforts to allocate medical resources into black communities, start a statewide education campaign targeting minorities and appropriate federal and state dollars to stave off home loss, business closures and potential bankruptcies stemming from COVID-19.

“As always, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus is prepared to assist in this effort. We will continue to work for all Georgians, but clearly some targeted interventions are necessary.”

 

Established in 1975, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus is a 501(c)3 non-profit, nonpartisan organization comprised of 65 Georgia House and Senate members.

For more information about the GLBC, please click here.

 

Representative Karen Bennett represents the citizens of Districts 94, which includes portions of DeKalb and Gwinnett counties. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2012 and currently serves on the Code Revision, Economic Development & Tourism, Health & Human Services and Regulated Industries committees.

 

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