WASHINGTON, 15 July. - (ANA)  - More than 1,000 employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have signed a letter calling for the agency to address “a pervasive and toxic culture of racial aggressions, bullying and marginalization” against Black employees.

 

Dated June 30 and addressed to the director of the C.D.C., Dr. Robert R. Redfield, the letter said, “After decades of well-meaning, yet underfunded, diversity and inclusion efforts, we have seen scant progress in addressing the very real challenges Black employees experience at C.D.C.”

 

The pandemic has both highlighted and exacerbated racial inequities in the United States.

 

The letter comes as the C.D.C. is confronting the most urgent public health emergency in its 74-year history. The federal response to the pandemic has been characterized as slow and ineffectual, and some have criticized the C.D.C. for its failure to anticipate and explain the pandemic’s effect on Black and Latino people.

 

At the same time, widespread demonstrations for racial justice following the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and others at the hands of the police have prompted people and institutions across the country to acknowledge and confront enduring forms of racism.

 

The letter listed seven grievances and dozens of requests. It called for the agency to publicly acknowledge that systemic racism is a public health crisis, expand internship and fellowship opportunities to students at historically Black colleges and universities, and adopt mandatory implicit bias training.

 

A C.D.C. spokesman said Dr. Redfield has already responded to the letter but did not provide details.  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/15 July 2020 - - -