The leader of the National Urban League shared insights on how to combat racial injustices in health care, jobs and social justice in a livestream with U.S. News.
While the coronavirus pandemic has engulfed the nation in public health dangers and economic turmoil, Black Americans are facing particularly stark crises. In a sense, "Black America faces three pandemics" in the devastating health effects of COVID-19, significant economic distress, and issues related to policing and criminal justice, said Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League.
"America is in a crisis, but that crisis is worse among Black Americans," Morial said in an Aug. 20 livestream interview with U.S. News & World Report as part of "The Racial Divide," an ongoing series from U.S. News that examines race relations and ways to address inequality in health care, education and other areas. Morial has led the civil rights and advocacy organization since 2003, and he served as mayor of New Orleans from 1994 to 2002.
Morial discussed how the coronavirus pandemic and the killing of George Floyd exposed and intensified many of the long-standing racial inequities and systemic racism in many sectors of society. His words were echoed in the newly released "State of Black America" report, an annual publication from the National Urban League that tracks data on the well-being of the Black community in the United States.
Improvements have been made throughout the years, Morial noted Thursday, such as increases in high school graduation and college matriculation rates among Black students, as well as increases in the number of Black elected officials at the national and local levels. But Black Americans continue to be disproportionately affected by systemic racism in the workplace, the health care system and other areas.
"Black Americans are like the caboose on the train," Morial said. "If the train goes faster, you're going to go faster, but you're going to still be the caboose."
For example, Black Americans are currently "three times as likely to contract the coronavirus and nearly twice as likely to die from COVID-19 as whites," according to the National Urban League report. Morial noted that when the unemployment rate drops, the rate for Black Americans is "still relatively two times as high as the white rate."
Morial also discussed how while America may be on the cusp of an economic depression, Black communities have yet to fully recover from the Great Recession of 2007-2009. One example: nearly five decades worth of rising Black homeownership have been eroded over the last 15 years, Morial said, and the average income of Black households have yet to return to pre-recession levels.
Morial said that the current administration has done little to enforce the rules meant to remedy ongoing inequities, such as the Fair Housing Act or the Voting Rights Act. He added that having honest conversations about racial wealth and income gaps is crucial to understanding the nuances of these gaps, as well as the benefits to closing them for the entire economy.
"We're not in a zero-sum game," Morial said. "When we're trying to build a bigger economy, a stronger economy … we need people in the lower half, we need people in the African American and Latino communities, to get a greater share of this growth."
Morial compared the need to address economic inequalities and the persistence of racism to how technological advances have transformed the workplace across industries over the years. Just as employers have had to adapt to changes in technology to compete and survive, Morial said that onboarding more diverse voices and backgrounds is vital for businesses and organizations.
"You've got to be able to understand it and you've got to be able to meet it," Morial said. "And if you meet it, your organization is going to be more successful and much stronger in the future."
The influence of ongoing protests across the country, which Morial described as "historic in their breadth, diversity and spontaneity," is also crucial.
"America is a nation that has always been in transformation, and we're currently in a period of transformation from a racial justice and a diversity and inclusion point of view," Morial said. "Those that curse it and fight it will fail. Those that embrace it, navigate it and master it will succeed."
While the coronavirus pandemic has engulfed the nation in public health dangers and economic turmoil, Black Americans are facing particularly stark crises. In a sense, "Black America faces three pandemics" in the devastating health effects of COVID-19, significant economic distress, and issues related to policing and criminal justice, said Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League.
"America is in a crisis, but that crisis is worse among Black Americans," Morial said in an Aug. 20 livestream interview with U.S. News & World Report as part of "The Racial Divide," an ongoing series from U.S. News that examines race relations and ways to address inequality in health care, education and other areas. Morial has led the civil rights and advocacy organization since 2003, and he served as mayor of New Orleans from 1994 to 2002.
Morial discussed how the coronavirus pandemic and the killing of George Floyd exposed and intensified many of the long-standing racial inequities and systemic racism in many sectors of society. His words were echoed in the newly released "State of Black America" report, an annual publication from the National Urban League that tracks data on the well-being of the Black community in the United States.
Improvements have been made throughout the years, Morial noted Thursday, such as increases in high school graduation and college matriculation rates among Black students, as well as increases in the number of Black elected officials at the national and local levels. But Black Americans continue to be disproportionately affected by systemic racism in the workplace, the health care system and other areas.
"Black Americans are like the caboose on the train," Morial said. "If the train goes faster, you're going to go faster, but you're going to still be the caboose."
For example, Black Americans are currently "three times as likely to contract the coronavirus and nearly twice as likely to die from COVID-19 as whites," according to the National Urban League report. Morial noted that when the unemployment rate drops, the rate for Black Americans is "still relatively two times as high as the white rate."
Morial also discussed how while America may be on the cusp of an economic depression, Black communities have yet to fully recover from the Great Recession of 2007-2009. One example: nearly five decades worth of rising Black homeownership have been eroded over the last 15 years, Morial said, and the average income of Black households have yet to return to pre-recession levels.
Morial said that the current administration has done little to enforce the rules meant to remedy ongoing inequities, such as the Fair Housing Act or the Voting Rights Act. He added that having honest conversations about racial wealth and income gaps is crucial to understanding the nuances of these gaps, as well as the benefits to closing them for the entire economy.
"We're not in a zero-sum game," Morial said. "When we're trying to build a bigger economy, a stronger economy … we need people in the lower half, we need people in the African American and Latino communities, to get a greater share of this growth."
Morial compared the need to address economic inequalities and the persistence of racism to how technological advances have transformed the workplace across industries over the years. Just as employers have had to adapt to changes in technology to compete and survive, Morial said that onboarding more diverse voices and backgrounds is vital for businesses and organizations.
"You've got to be able to understand it and you've got to be able to meet it," Morial said. "And if you meet it, your organization is going to be more successful and much stronger in the future."
The influence of ongoing protests across the country, which Morial described as "historic in their breadth, diversity and spontaneity," is also crucial.
"America is a nation that has always been in transformation, and we're currently in a period of transformation from a racial justice and a diversity and inclusion point of view," Morial said. "Those that curse it and fight it will fail. Those that embrace it, navigate it and master it will succeed."