• Photo Credit: Max Ortiz/Detroit News

LANSING, MI - During her press conference today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that she created the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities. The task force will be chaired by Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II and will consist of different leaders across state government and health care professionals. Their first meeting will be this week.

As of this moment, it's been reported that 40% of deaths from COVID-19 in Michigan are in African Americans. The main goal of the task force will be to provide Governor Whitmer with recommendations to best deal with this disparity during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Speaking on this issue in a press release, “This virus is holding a mirror up to our society and reminding us of the deep inequities in this country,” said Governor Whitmer. “From basic lack of access to health care, transportation, and protections in the workplace, these inequities hit people of color and vulnerable communities the hardest. This task force will help us start addressing these disparities right now as we work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Michigan.”

Lt. Governor Gilchrist had this to say about the matter, "We know that generations of racial disparities and inequality has a detrimental impact on the lives of people across the state. The coronavirus pandemic has shown this inequity to be particularly true, especially in the Black community, where the health of our friends and family has been disproportionately impacted. That’s why we are taking immediate action to assemble some of the greatest minds to tackle this racial injustice now and in the future.”

Governor Whitmer has signed multiple executive orders throughout the COVID-19 outbreak that are focused on protecting individuals in vulnerable communities. Some of these orders included expanding unemployment benefits, temporarily banning evictions and tax forclosures, as well as restoring running water for families unable to pay their bills.

HOMTV will continue to follow this story as it develops.