Coronavirus' Impact on Minority Communities

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. GARCIA of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Lee and the caucuses involved for putting this Special Order together.

Today in America, there is not one State that has the pandemic under control. My own State of Texas became the first State to surpass 1 million cases.

Let me repeat that: 1 million cases.

These cases represent many of our neighbors, our friends, and our own family. I personally have self-quarantined once and have already been tested four times for different times I have been exposed to someone with the virus.

Thank God all tests have come back positive--I am sorry, negative. I meant to say, ``not come back positive.'' Little misspeaking there.

Mr. Speaker, this pandemic is affecting everyone, but it is not affecting everyone in the same way. Black and Latino communities are bearing the weight of this pandemic. While Black and Latino people are being hospitalized and dying at higher rates than White people, they are also the ones most likely to be working jobs that put them more at risk.

They have always been essential workers. Now more than ever, this is sadly more true. They are meatpacking workers, farmworkers, sanitation workers, custodians, restaurant workers, grocery clerks, postal workers, police officers, firefighters, longshoremen. These aren't jobs you can do from home. If you don't show up, you just don't get paid.

Black and Latino families have had to go into work even when it meant they may get sick. And many of them have gotten sick. Even worse, many infected a loved one with the virus.

America depends on these workers to put food on our tables and keep us safe. Because our leaders didn't take any steps to prepare us for this pandemic, we can't even offer the protective gear needed to keep essential frontline workers safe.

So while we are asking these communities to go to work every day without the proper protections, we also know that Latino and Black Americans are more likely to have health conditions, like asthma and diabetes, that make the virus even more dangerous.

Nationwide, Latinos make up 55 percent of the COVID cases and 24 percent of the overall deaths. Yet, we are only 18.5 percent of the total U.S. population. In Texas, Latinos are about 40 percent of the population, but we are nearly 55 percent of the deaths--more than half, Mr. Speaker. In Houston, sadly, Latinos account for 54 percent of the deaths caused by this virus--again, more than half.

My district, which is nearly 80 percent Latino, was one of the hardest hit areas in the Houston region. But despite these numbers, many of my constituents are still scared of getting tested or even seeing the doctor. Many don't have health insurance. Others don't trust our healthcare system. Many more are undocumented and fear deportation.

Mr. Speaker, now, I am optimistic about the future, given some of the news about vaccine trials. However, we must make sure, once we have a safe and effective vaccine, that it is distributed fairly and equitably and that no one is left behind.

We do not need to repeat the disparate mistakes of the past. As elected officials, we must work together to keep all of our constituents safe.

Right now, with the virus rapidly spreading, we are losing precious time if we don't act. People will get sick, and even more people will die, if we wait any longer.

Legislation like the Heroes Act provides protections that working families and frontline workers need now. It would provide rent relief for families who are afraid of losing their homes. It would help our schools keep kids healthy and safe for in-person learning. It would give local and State governments much-needed relief to retain frontline workers on payroll. It would give hardworking families another stimulus check. It would also reinstate the supplemental weekly $600 in unemployment benefits, a lifeline that helped many families stay afloat.

Lastly, we need to earn the trust of these communities and let them know that, yes, they are a part of us. People of color know and must know that we are working for them. We cannot save the economy if we don't save people first.

Saving many lives must be our top priority. It will take all of us to crush this virus, but I know that we will get together to make sure that we are all working together to get past this pandemic, and if we do, it will be for all of us. Todos juntos.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for this Special Order.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source