Dear Public Health @PHAwakened I am in full support of the Heros Act as I see the immense value in it. I would like to heighten awareness & create space to say that as we build a public health army to conduct testing, tracing and treatment that we not lose sight of ensuring that

those opportunities are made available to communities that are hardest hit by the pandemic. I’m talking specifically of communities of color and immigrant communities. In the history of this country we have exploited groups who have long struggled to achieve economic security.

What we need to have in place is a pathway now for those groups to be lifted up. The fact is that communities of color and immigrants are in the best position culturally & linguistically to serve their communities. Education and training programs for future employment

opportunities need to be operationalized in settings that allow them access- not in settings where they have previously been excluded like higher education. This could be for example adult schools. I am conscious that some positions could be more technical but not all of them

will be. This for me is an example of the new reality that I want to see materialize post COVID-19. One that start with equity and not one that fights to bend systems to achieve it later.