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Forum: Pandemic's Disproportionate Impacts on Minority Communities in U.S. Cities

Months into the coronavirus pandemic, the devastating economic impact on Americans is beginning to be measured. A poll out this month by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, finds that in some of America's largest cities, more than half of the households say they have lost a job, been furloughed, or had wages and hours reduced since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

No groups have been more affected than minority communities, both in terms of illness, death and financial devastation. These communities were already disproportionately burdened by wage gaps and chronic illnesses before the pandemic.

Watch an expert panel discussion on the extent of these problems and approaches to mitigating on Wednesday, September 30, to be live-streamed here at 12 p.m. ET, as part of The Forum at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Joe Neel, deputy senior supervising editor on NPR's Science Desk, will moderate the discussion with:

Robert Blendon, Richard L. Menschel Professor of Public Health and Professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis, Emeritus,

Barbara Ferrer, Director, Department of Public Health, County of Los Angeles,

Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard Kennedy School as well as Faculty Co-Chair of the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative,

David Williams, Florence Sprague Norman and Laura Smart Norman Professor of Public Health and Chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health,

Ngozi Ezike, Illinois Director of Public Health.

This webcast is part of an ongoing series, "Coronavirus in America: Families in Crisis." The series is based in part on a poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Joe Neel is NPR's deputy senior supervising editor and a correspondent on the Science Desk.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Fund the Facts

You just read trusted, local journalism that’s free for everyone, thanks to donors like you.

If that matters to you, now is the time to give. Join the 50,000+ members powering honest reporting and a more connected — and civil! — Connecticut.

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