The devastating consequences of inequity are playing out right now in rural America. According to a recent study by the Rural Policy Research Institute, COVID-19 is killing rural Americans at twice the rate of their urban counterparts. Native American, Black, Latino and Hispanic communities are also disproportionately at greater risk. Too often the needs of rural America and the imperative to address racial and economic justice are seen in opposition to each other. However, as community foundations that represent geographically and racially diverse communities, we know that these challenges are not mutually exclusive.
We’re calling on our leaders to address rising rates of poverty and systemic racial barriers to health and wealth that have worsened during the pandemic. All these inequities abound in rural America, yet rural places receive the least amount of philanthropic investment. As representatives of rural regions growing more racially and ethnically diverse every day, we embrace the connection we share with urban BIPOC communities. Together, we have the best opportunity to solve the most pressing issues of our time as well as restore the health of our civic discourse. Being marginalized, ignored and dismissed causes the same harm, no matter where you live.
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