Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently signed an executive order creating the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities. The governor has appointed Dr. Marijata Daniel-Echols, program officer at The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, to serve on the task force along with other leaders from the health sector, academia, government and nonprofits.

The state shared in a press release that the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted communities of color throughout our state. While African Americans represent 13.6% of Michigan’s population, they represent a staggering 40% of the deaths from