Spanberger to host telephone town hall June 10

U.S. Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger of Virginia’s 7th District will host a telephone town hall meeting June 10 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. focusing on the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on Central Virginia’s minorities.

Spanberger will be joined on the call by U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood of Illinois and representatives from the VCU Massey Cancer Center and the Office of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam.

In the Henrico Health District, blacks account for about 30 percent of the population but represent 42 percent of cases and 43 percent of deaths. During the town hall meeting, Spanberger and her guests will deliver brief updates on this ongoing situation, and they will answer questions from Seventh District residents about the response to COVID-19 at the federal, state and local levels.

“The crippling health and economic effects of the COVID-19 crisis have been felt across Central Virginia. But in our communities of color, COVID-19’s spread has been particularly destructive,” said Spanberger. “Especially as we engage in critical conversations about the vast inequalities that persist across our Commonwealth and our country, we need to dive deeper into how we can address the systemic challenges that permeate our healthcare system. This telephone town hall will be an opportunity for our neighbors to hear directly from local experts about how we can build a strategy to combat this pandemic in the communities hardest hit, as well as to hear the unique perspective of Congresswoman Underwood — someone with a distinct background of fighting for America’s underserved and marginalized communities.

To join the interactive telephone town hall, constituents should dial-in to 855-920-0555. To watch or listen live to the conversation, visit https://spanberger.house.gov/live or Spanberger’s Facebook page during the event.