Gretchen Whitmer

As we work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Michigan, we must recognize the disproportionate impact this virus has on communities of color. Some 14 percent of Michiganders are African-American, yet more than 40 percent of COVID-19 related deaths in Michigan are African Americans. This harsh reality is a reminder of the deep inequities in our country, and should serve as motivation for leaders to roll up our sleeves and continue to work on behalf of our most vulnerable communities.

This virus is holding a mirror up to our society. From basic lack of access to health care, to affordable transportation, to lack of protections in the workplace, these inequities hit people of color the hardest. And because of that, people of color are more vulnerable when our state is hit with a pandemic like COVID-19. Detroiters are feeling the impact the hardest. More than 5,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 are in the city of Detroit alone, where too few people have the support they need to stay safe during this crisis.

I signed the Stay Home, Stay Safe order on March 23rd because staying home is the most effective way we can slow the spread of this virus. While this is was a crucial step in our fight against COVID-19, I recognize that the harsh reality for too many families is that staying home means a loss of income, making it harder to put food on the table for themselves and their families. It means they don’t know how they’ll make their next rent payment or pay their electric bill.

In the past month, I’ve taken steps to address the uncertainty families feel. Shortly after we found the first cases of the virus, I expanded unemployment benefits for Michigan workers by increasing benefits from 20 to 26 weeks, increasing the application period from 14 to 28 days, and suspending the normal in-person registration. I ordered that employers cannot retaliate against workers who can’t go into work because they or someone they’ve come in close contact with tested positive for or experienced symptoms of COVID-19. When I closed school buildings to students for the remainder of the school year, I made sure to require districts to provide equitable learning options for students. And I suspended evictions and tax foreclosures during this crisis. I took these actions to ensure protections for working people and communities that need them most. But there’s more work to do.

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More:Whitmer creates task force to look at racial disparities in coronavirus patients, deaths

On April 9th, I announced the creation of the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities, which will be chaired by Lt. Governor Gilchrist. Members of the task force will consist of leaders across state government and health care professionals from communities most impacted by the spread of coronavirus. The task force has already started meeting, and will be tasked with providing recommendations on how to address racial disparities in health care during the COVID-19 crisis. Members of the task force will regularly gather feedback from impacted communities.

It shouldn’t take a global pandemic to remind leaders that we must work to address these inequities. It shouldn’t take a crisis for us to expand unemployment benefits or ensure protections for workers who are sick. Every single one of us deserves access to necessities like affordable health care, safe transportation, and workplace protections. These needs won’t go away when COVID-19 does.

We’re going to come out of this crisis, but we must also learn some hard lessons about the deep problems in our economy that require real, meaningful solutions. These are issues that I’ve been focused on from the beginning. It’s why I created a task force to help inform steps we can take to lift families out of poverty. It’s why my administration has been working with providers and universities to establish implicit bias training in their curriculum so that as people of color seek health care, they’ll be treated with equal dignity and respect, which will yield better outcomes. And it's why I raised asset test limits to ensure more families can afford food, rent, utilities, and clothes for themselves and their kids. When we get through this, I will continue working to ensure that every day of the year, Michiganders from Detroit to Flint to Marquette can put food on the table, can get to work safely, and have the workplace protections they deserve.

Gretchen Whitmer is the governor of Michigan.