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Kim Gaddy (left) and Leslie Elder
For many New Jerseyans, nearly 10% of their income goes to their energy costs.
Now, a recent New Jersey government report shows the coronavirus pandemic halted the “longest economic expansion in modern U.S. history,” forcing many people to look for ways to cut down on their living costs. This report piggybacks on earlier reports on the pandemic that found COVID-19 is more deadly in areas like Newark, Jersey City and Camden due to historically higher levels of pollution.
In April, a month after states began shutting down, more than 750,000 New Jerseyans lost their jobs many of these Black and Latinx. Similarly, the virus hit people of color and low-income communities with few public resources harder. This highlights the disproportionate impact the pandemic has financially, and in public health metrics, on communities of color. Historically these communities are most at risk for these social and environmental injustices; for instance, multiple
Loose Ends 1/15: Crystal Pruitt
By Pam Hersh
Twelve months ago, I attended the municipal reorganization meeting of the Franklin Township Council that featured, among other agenda items, the swearing in of a co-worker – Ms. Crystal Pruitt – as a Franklin Township Council member. Having just turned 34 years old and holding down a full-time job as chief of staff for Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker, Crystal gave a speech that at the time I thought was brilliant and unsettling.
One year later, I know her words were brilliant, unsettling, but also prescient and surprisingly comforting to me during this discomforting time. Now 35 years old with a new job at the NJ Board of Public Utilities as head of its Office of Clean Energy Equity, Crystal represents the clear-eyed, unsentimental, determined millennial leadership that society needs right now to strengthen democracy and achieve concrete social justice changes.