An organization of about 500 Black mayors of American cities is warning of disproportionate impacts in African American communities and seeking federal assistance aimed directly at that issue.
The African American Mayors Association sent a letter to Congress requesting that $250 billion of the federal stimulus package ” be provided in flexible, emergency fiscal assistance be allocated directly to cities, regardless of population size, and with specific protections for African Americans.”
The letter says the mayors believe there is a “substantial likelihood that African Americans will be disproportionately impacted by negative health outcomes and economic losses due to the coronavirus.”
“The funding we’ve requested will empower mayors to immediately take emergency actions necessary to locally execute a COVID-19 response strategy that equitably protects our communities from both the pandemic and its economic impact. Mayors know the needs of their communities better than anyone and need to be empowered to protect their constituents at this time of unprecedented challenge,” Mayor Hardie Davis of Augusta, GA, the President of the African American Mayors Association, said in a statement.
The most recent federal stimulus package, which includes a $1,200 payment to every adult making less than $75,000 per year, did not directly address the mayors’ concerns, but did include a temporary moratorium on eviction filings for all federally backed mortgage loans; grants and loans for minority-owned and small businesses; $1 billion for the Community Services Block Grant and $750 million for Head Start for kids; and $4 billion in homeless assistance grants.
But that’s not enough, some mayors say.
“The money from the federal government goes to the states and then it trickles down to the cities,” Rochester, NY Mayor Lovely Warren told Essence Magazine. “But what we mayors are advocating for is direct funding at the local level for our cities.”
Several members and leaders of Congress, including US Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, have said there is talk of more stimulus to come.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) told ESSENCE in a statement: “While House Democrats fought hard for additional resources for states and localities, the CARES Act was a compromise measure negotiated with Congressional Republicans and the Administration. We recognize additional work is necessary to provide states and localities with sufficient resources to address this public health emergency.”
Hoyer vowed, “We will be working to address that with additional legislation and ensure they have the necessary resources to confront this pandemic.”
