The National Black Justice Coalition Says Senate Passage of Bipartisan Infrastructure Package is a Victory for Racial Justice
CONTACT: Anna Zuccaro | anna@unbendablemedia.com
Statement from David Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, a leading civil rights organization:
“The bipartisan infrastructure package passed by the Senate today is an investment in our country and communities – one that will create good jobs, improve public health, and advance equity and racial justice by making our economy more fair, equitable, and just.
“The creation of hundreds of thousands of high-paying union jobs will help more Black LGBTQ+/SGL people specifically and Black people more generally living in poverty move into the middle class.”
“We celebrate that this historic deal ensures that every American has access to reliable high-speed internet with a historic investment in broadband infrastructure deployment. For Black families, which are 9% less likely to have high-speed internet than their white peers – this will help close the digital divide. This is critical as the privileged among us remote work and engage in virtual school schooling in the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic.
“Through investments in clean air and drinking water, public transportation, and electric vehicles – the bipartisan infrastructure bill will make our communities cleaner and healthier. With 26% of Black Americans living within 3 miles of a Superfund site, the package’s investment is important to address pollution and the negative impacts of climate change. Provisions to reconnect communities – specifically Black communities – that have been divided by transportation infrastructure projects in the past will spur economic growth and support the repair of government-led community harm.
“Having reliable, accessible transit and internet, clean air and drinking water, and living wage jobs is a game-changer for Black LGBTQ+/SGL people living in poverty. We celebrate the passage today, and urge Senators to move quickly to also approve the budget, which includes major federal investments in child care, immigration, family leave, and climate change.”
