Justice Beatty elected as next chairperson of the Black Caucus in Congress

On Thursday, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) was elected as the next chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) – a position she called an "honor of life".

She will be the 27th leader of the faction, which was founded in 1971. Currently, the committee has more than 50 members in this congress session, a historic high.

Representative Karen Bass (D-Calif.) will assume this function for the current session.

In a statement on the occasion of her election, Beatty referred to three pandemics that she said had a disproportionate impact on black Americans: the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic, "economic unrest and social injustice.

In her capacity, Beatty said she plans to work with the new Biden administration and Congress to fight the coronavirus pandemic "and ensure that better days lie ahead for us all.

The Congresswoman has already put pressure on President-elect Joe Biden to rescind a controversial order by President Trump to provide specific diversity training – a priority when he takes office.

Beatty also said on Thursday that she would use her platform to "address persistent economic and health inequalities and fight to break the chains of systemic racism that have held the black community back for far too long.

Her comments come as racist data continues to emerge that underscore the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus pandemic on black Americans. Black Americans, along with other minority groups, are almost four times more likely to be hospitalized with the disease than non-Hispanic whites, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to the COVID Racial Data Tracker, blacks die from the disease twice as often as whites in the United States. A study published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York this summer also showed that small black businesses are more affected by the pandemic than others.

These inequalities became even more apparent this year when a nationwide race riots were expected in the United States that led to police killings of black Americans. In particular, the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, sparked months of protests across the country against police brutality and racism.

In her statement on Thursday, the Congresswoman also paid tribute to the upcoming 50th anniversary of the faction.

"The Group will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2021, and I will do everything in my power to build on our past successes, work to create justice and sustainability in racial wealth, improve access to affordable health care, housing and education, reform our criminal justice system and clean up our environment," she said.

"Together – standing on the shoulders of the 13 CBC founders – we will continue to fight for our families, for our communities and for justice for all," she added.

This article was originally published by The Washington Newsday on December 7, 2020.