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Though the coronavirus pandemic has caused widespread devastation for New York, it has hurt some communities more than others. New Yorkers of color have been more likely to die from the virus and, despite making up a larger share of so-called essential workers, have been more likely to lose their jobs because of the outbreak’s economic recession.

With the city still in the process of a somewhat halting “reopening” and attempting to rebuild its struggling economy, a coalition of environmental justice advocates, labor unions, faith leaders, and elected officials is calling for an economic recovery plan that they estimate would create more than 100,000 jobs in three years, prioritizing communities of color with environmentally sound investments that can also meet the city’s goals of fighting climate change.

“We hear elected officials and candidates talking a lot about addressing income inequality and climate change,” said Maritza Silva-Farrell, executive director of ALIGN, in a phone interview. “And what we're trying to do with this particular report is just to show that when state legislators and city legislators, particularly, are investing in the right things, we actually can get to that goal.”

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