Election 2020, News, White House Report

Amy Klobuchar on Health and Economic Disparities of COVID-19

April Ryan
April 29, 2020

People wait for a distribution of masks and food from the Rev. Al Sharpton in the Harlem neighborhood of New York, after a new state mandate was issued requiring residents to wear face coverings in public due to the COVID-19 coronavirus, Saturday, April 18, 2020. "Inner-city residents must follow this mandate to ensure public health and safety," said Sharpton. The latest Associated Press analysis of available data shows that nearly one-third of those who have died from the coronavirus are African American, even though blacks are only about 14% of the population. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Reading Time: 2 minutes

In this Monday, April 20, 2020, photo, Shelia Bennett, of Albany, Ga., right, hands Jerilyn Morgan three dollars for kale on a vegetable farm on Monday, April 20, 2020, in Dawson, Ga. Morgan would only make three dollars on Monday. Gov. Brian Kemp announced plans Monday to restart the state’s economy before the end of the week, saying many businesses that closed to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus could reopen as early as Friday. Morgan can still sell from her farm, but no one is coming. They are too afraid to leave the house, she said. She made $3 Monday. Once she pays her bills, she thinks she’ll have about $20 in her bank account. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

AURN’s April Ryan moderated the NAACP’s Unmask the COVID-19 virtual town hall which featured Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).

April asked Sen. Klobuchar about servicing communities in need, the importance of racial data related to COVID-19 contractions and deaths, and small businesses receiving funding in the second phase of economic stimulus.

Click ▶️ to listen to AURN Washington Bureau Chief April Ryan’s White House Report:

April Ryan has a unique vantage point as the only Black female reporter covering urban issues from the White House, a position she has held with AURN since the Clinton era. Her position as a White House Correspondent has afforded her heightened insight into the racial sensitivities, issues, and attendant political struggles of our nation. April has written three books; The Presidency in Black & White: My Close-Up View of Three Presidents and Race in America, At Mama's Knee: Mothers and Race in Black and White, and Under Fire: Reporting from the Front Lines of the Trump White House. Twitter: @aprildryan