The Oregonian, November 12, Gov. Kate Brown, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum defend state’s relief fund for Black Oregonians
Gov. Kate Brown and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum defended Oregon’s new $62 million coronavirus relief fund for Black Oregonians and businesses Thursday after the state was named in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the program.
“The data show that Black Oregonians are experiencing disproportionate harm from COVID-19,” said Brown and Rosenblum in Thursday’s statement. “These harms, the result of long-standing systemic inequities, include higher rates of COVID-19 infection and a greater risk of adverse health impacts. Additionally, Black-owned businesses are less likely to have received federal aid, and are closing at a faster pace than other businesses.”
A study conducted by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition in July found that Black business owners had a harder time securing coronavirus financial relief than white business owners. A separate study from researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz found that Black-owned businesses were closing twice as fast as White-owned businesses during the pandemic.
