New Commission on race equity sends Gov. Mills first recommendations to reduce racial inequality in the near and long term

The brutal, unjust killing of George Floyd on May 25 and so many Black lives taken before and since, has reignited a global conversation about systemic racism and the ways in which anti-Black racism has affected the lives, health and well-being of Black people in the United States. In addition, Maine’s communities of color have been demanding for weeks that the Maine Department of Health and Human Services address the significantly disparate impact of COVID-19 on their communities.

“Maine has one of the nation’s most egregious disparities in positive COVID-19 tests, with Black Mainers more than 25 times as likely as white Mainers to test positive for the disease, according to the latest Maine CDC data,” said James Myall, Policy Analyst at Maine Center for Economic Policy and a member of the Commission.

Click here to read the full story, first published June 18, 2020, in Amjambo Africa.