Pittsburgh-area lawmakers, PLBC members, urged House leadership to address numerous law enforcement reform bills that have been languishing in House committees and to add session days if necessary Read more

On behalf of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus (PLBC), Rep. Stephen Kinsey, D-Phila., Chairman of the PLBC, issued the following statement on the ongoing protests in Philadelphia: “George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Antwon Rose. Eric Garner. Michael Brown, Jr. Tamir Rice. Walter Scott. Alton Sterling. Philando Castile. The list of black and brown mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and children who have needlessly lost their lives at the hands of police officers is not a new trend, but in America, it is a consistent trend with roots as old as our nation. Read more

PHILADELPHIA, May 7 – State Rep. Stephen Kinsey, D-Phila., and members of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, today encouraged Gov. Tom Wolf and his administration to not only recognize racial and ethnic groups in coronavirus data but also prioritize funding for black, brown and poor communities hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kinsey, who is chairman of the PLBC, said members of his caucus are increasingly discouraged by the disproportionate number of coronavirus cases and deaths affecting people of color. He said while there have been longstanding racial and economic disparities in health, education and economic development, the COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated the danger to communities of color worldwide. Pennsylvania, Kinsey said, has the power to do something about it. In a letter to Wolf, PLBC members highlighted the $3.9 billon the commonwealth is expected to receive from the federal government and urged him to ensure a prioritized portion of the money is invested to address racial disparities in business development, education, health care, housing and environmental remediation made worse by COVID-19. "Minority owned businesses are suffering to survive, let alone thrive; our schools are struggling to ensure that children have the proper equipment and resources for them to continue learning; and African Americans are dying at a disproportionately higher rate than any other racial or ethnic group due to complications of the Read more

HARRISBURG, April 28 – State Reps. Austin Davis, Ed Gainey, Summer Lee and Jake Wheatley, all D-Allegheny, on Tuesday penned a letter of support to Gov. Tom Wolf praising his administration’s enactment of the COVID-19 Response Task Force for Health Disparity , which was designed to help identify how the pandemic is affecting the state’s minority and vulnerable populations. A copy of the joint letter sent to the governor on Tuesday can be found here . “The COVID-19 pandemic – even in its earliest days – quickly shed light on many longstanding issues of inequality faced by minority communities,” Davis said. “Unfortunately, these are key issues these minority populations have dealt with for many years, COVID-19 just illuminated it for the rest of the state to see. So, while I’m hopeful and grateful for the institution of this task force, it’s my sincerest hope that this produces real results, saves lives and leads to longstanding change for Pennsylvania’s minority communities.” Lee added: “The coronavirus has brought to the surface all of the structural inequalities that marginalized communities in our state are dealing with – including those in our healthcare system. While I appreciate this effort, I would also hope that this task force is a starting point for us as a society to acknowledge and address the disparities in our healthcare Read more

PHILADELPHIA, April 27 – In a statement released today, state Rep. Stephen Kinsey, D-Phila., chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, along with its members, commended Gov. Tom Wolf for calling for more free and accessible testing, and for health care providers and medical facilities to follow the Department of Health’s mandate to include race and ethnicity data in demographics provided to the department with COVID-19 test results. “Race and ethnicity have long been factors that essentially predestine a person’s quality of life, and in the wake of a pandemic, these factors have determined the accessibility of tests, the level of care, and overall survival outcomes. It’s a reality that’s all too familiar for people of color,” Kinsey said. “I commend Governor Wolf for his efforts in addressing these deep-rooted systemic ills by pushing Pennsylvania to be among the few states to collect this critical piece of data, which will help our commonwealth to be able to better identify contraction points and mitigate spread in these communities, ultimately saving lives.” The chairman added, “The data collected surrounding this widespread event will be incredibly valuable for our ongoing efforts in the dismantling these disparities moving forward.” Read more

PITTSBURGH, April 27 – As Pennsylvania continues to recover from the effects of an unprecedented pandemic, state Rep. Jake Wheatley said he is committed to paving the way to help affected individuals, businesses and institutions with immediate and long-term assistance and support. To date, Wheatley, D-Allegheny, has introduced several measures to provide relief and support, including the Emergency Relief of COVID-19 Workers Act , which would provide additional wages and support for essential workers, including those who have lost their jobs, and the creation of a special uncompensated care fund for Pennsylvanians who have lost their employer-provided health insurance coverage, due to being out of work. In addition, Wheatley is crafting a $10 billion business relief package that would set aside $5 billion for small businesses, $3 billion for minority businesses, $1.5 billion for the food and hospitality industry and $500 million for sole proprietors. The package is designed to help preserve and bolster small business owners, the backbone of our commonwealth’s economy, he added. “Residents in Allegheny County and across our state are hurting, and I am working diligently with my colleagues in the House to bring each of them immediate relief, and that includes our family-owned small businesses, our hospitality and healthcare workers, our seniors and our schools,” said Wheatley. “While there has been some federal help offered, Read more

PHILADELPHIA, April 16 - Yesterday, state Rep. Stephen Kinsey, D-Phila., and the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus released the following statement commending Gov. Tom Wolf and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman for the newly announced COVID-19 Response Task Force for Health Disparity that will help to identify how the pandemic is impacting communities of color: “Governor Wolf has done a tremendous job tackling the Covid-19 pandemic so far, and his mitigation measures have helped ease some of the stress caused by this unexpected situation,” Kinsey said. “I am in full support of these additional steps that will hopefully reduce the outsized impact that Covid-19 is having on people of color.” "Anyone who has been paying attention knows that there are vast disparities in health care for people of color," state Rep. Donna Bullock, PLBC vice chairwoman, said. "That isn't new, but in the midst of a global pandemic that has upended life for all of us, the disparities in health care for people of color are magnified. I'm grateful that Governor Wolf is prioritizing this issue. I look forward to helping in the effort any way that I can." “I’m grateful that Governor Wolf and Lieutenant Governor Fetterman have decided to take on this challenge,” state Rep. Carol Hill-Evans, PLBC secretary, said. “We cannot pretend that there are no disparities in Read more

The Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus presented a webinar to help nonprofit and faith-based organizations find funding relief through the Small Business Administration and other organizations. White House Policy Advisor and SBA Regional Administrator Ashley Bell was a featured speaker, in addition to other advocates and members of the PLBC. Read more

PHILADELPHIA, April 14 – As part of Black Maternal Health Week, state Rep. Morgan Cephas participated in an online forum Monday, focusing on her ongoing fight to reduce the maternal mortality rate in Pennsylvania -- a phenomenon that disproportionately impacts women of color. The Oshun Family Center hosted the webinar titled Black Maternal Health: Advancing the Village to Hold the Mother, where Cephas discussed her package of bills that would: Offer Medicaid coverage for doulas (H.B. 2109) . Expand Medicaid coverage for postpartum women (H.B. 2108) . Add "severe maternal morbidity" to the list of reportable events within the Pennsylvania Department of Health (H.B. 2107). Require implicit bias training for health care professionals ( H.B. 2110 ). "Access to quality health care should never be based on a person's skin color or zip code," said Cephas, D-Phila. "However, the maternal mortality rate for women of color remains disproportionally higher than white women and demands collective and immediat e action . From legislators to stakeholders, we must come together and work to secure funding, develop policies and pass laws that result in better health outcomes." "Black Maternal Health Week has been a passion project for the Maternal Wellness Village and me, due to the personal impact on our lives," said Saleemah McNeil, founder of Read more

Those who stand with us in the fight to protect Black mothers and promote policies that ensure Black families can live in safe and healthy communities need to make their voices heard and call on their elected officials to join us. Read more