In honor of the first day of Black History Month, the Brookings Institution held a set of online panel discussions, titled “Setting A Policy Agenda For Black Americans,” on Monday, featuring speakers like U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. of Little Rock, Arkansas.
“Between the intersecting crises of COVID-19, a devastated economy, an ongoing systemic racism, Black Americans have suffered terribly and disproportionately this past year,” said John Allen, president of the Brookings Institution. “These challenges are ongoing and they demand our full attention.”
The only solution is an “inclusive public policy agenda,” he added, that prioritizes police and criminal justice reform and expands access to healthcare, jobs, housing and education to Black communities.
In the event’s keynote session, Beatty expressed optimism that President Joe R. Biden would prioritize equity. She described Biden as “clear and forthright” about the role people of color played in securing his election while backing up his words with “action.”
She pointed to Biden’s diverse cabinet nominees and his executive order overturning former President Donald J. Trump’s restriction on diversity training for federal agencies, contractors and grant recipients, including colleges and universities.
To Beatty, it’s a “good start,” but “it does not mean that we don’t have more work to do.”
Panelists delved into what that work could look like on a gamut of issues, including disparities for Black Americans in home ownership, employment and maternal health, as well as the persistent problem of police brutality and the impact COVID-19 has had on already suffering Black-owned businesses.
