NO MORE SILENCE

Over 1,000 CDC Employees Urge Agency to Address Institutional Racism

A June 30 letter cites “ongoing and recurring acts of racism and discrimination” against Black employees.

Over 1,000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees have signed a letter demanding that “ongoing and recurring acts of racism and discrimination” against Black employees within the agency be addressed. The letter forms its demands in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, which has disproportionately affected Black people, and the racial justice protests that have followed the death of George Floyd in May. “In light of the recent calls for justice across this country and around the world, we, as dedicated public health professionals, can no longer stay silent to the widespread acts of racism and discrimination within CDC that are, in fact, undermining the agency’s core mission,” the letter says. The letter has been signed by at least one division head within the agency.