Virtual Town Hall, Race and COVID-19: Chicago Impacts and Opportunities For Change
CHICAGO (WLS) -- ABC 7 Chicago presented Race and COVID-19: Chicago Impacts and Opportunities For Change, a virtual, hour-long town hall moderated by ABC 7 Anchor/Reporter Cheryl Burton on Thursday, May 21 at 3 p.m.. The event was live streamed on abc7chicago.com and all the station's digital platforms.
PART 2: Race and COVID-19: Chicago Impacts and Opportunities For Change
Chicago's Black and Latino communities have been hit hard by COVID-19. The data clearly shows that minority communities are disproportionately affected by the virus and the impact has been devastating. This town hall looked at the reasons for the striking discrepancy in the number of infections and deaths in those communities and explored possible solutions.
According to John Idler, President and General Manager, ABC 7, "We witnessed the health disparities in minority communities suffering from the virus, and we wanted to create an extended dialogue to shine a light on the problem. Our hour-long virtual town hall provides subject matter experts and community leaders the time to discuss solutions and help move us forward together."
Joining ABC 7 Eyewitness News Anchor/Reporter Cheryl Burton on the panel were Lt. Governor, Juliana Stratton; Suzet McKinney, CEO & Executive Director, Illinois Medical District; Alfred W. Tatum, Dean, UIC College of Education; Ric Estrada, President & CEO of Metropolitan Family Services; Karen Freeman-Wilson, President & CEO of Chicago Urban League; Sylvia Puente, Executive Director of Latino Policy Forum.
