| The American South is a vital part of our country – and this pandemic is worsening the existing challenges and deepening inequities in the region. The Pandemic to Prosperity team is proud to partner with Fair Count and the Southern Economic Advancement Project to focus on the South as a region that can lead the way in recovery from the pandemic. In this edition, our findings in the South include: American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, and Hispanic individuals are 1.3 to 2.2 times more likely to have severe Covid impacts than white people across the U.S. Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina lead the South in percent of the population who have received the vaccine or definitely plan to. Southern states have lost 1.8 million jobs over the last year.Southern states have among the lowest rates of internet access nationwide. 7 of the 8 states in the U.S. with the lowest internet access are in the South. Structural barriers have hampered voter turnout in past elections. Currently 7 Southern states have either passed or are moving forward with bills that will increase barriers to voting. Attendance data for remote schooling raises the need to re-engage the most vulnerable students, but widespread missing/low quality data on vulnerable populations portend a much larger crisis ahead. To download the full April 13th, 2021 report, follow this link. |