At-Large councilperson Kendra Brooks was the featured guest during the Germantown Info Hub’s third radio call-in showwith G-town Radio on 92.9 FM.

The episode, which aired on Thursday, April 9th, focused on issues facing marginalized groups who now find themselves out of work or serving as an essential employee.

Letrell Crittenden, a researcher and editor for the Info Hub, hosted last week’s discussion, which also included Timothy Welbeck, a civil rights attorney, professor and hip-hop artist.

As inequities become more evident during the crisis, Brooks noted that the safety net programs put in place will not meet the needs of the city’s most marginalized populations.

The federal government released resources which include a $1200 stipend, and several other resources for employees and businesses. Brooks said she is fighting for those who are unable to utilize these resources.

“Whether we’re talking about undocumented workers, gig economy workers, contract workers, and those that don’t qualify for most benefits,” Brooks said. “So it’s been very vital for us to continue to focus on those things because that is what’s going to help us rebuild on the other end, how workers come out of this pandemic.”

Welbeck pointed out that COVID-19 effects are strongly correlated to loopholes and disparities in America’s existing systems.

“COVID-19 has exacerbated many of the inequities in our system and our criminal justice system and our health system in the light of those particularly vulnerable populations,” Welbeck said. “And that’s not just the immunocompromised, but also black people, the poor people who fall along those intersections are disproportionately impacted by the toll of the virus.”

The COVID-19 spread throughout prison systems and juvenile detention centers was a second topic of discussion. Brooks said she is currently fighting to make sure foster-care youth are not placed in detention centers because of the absence of foster-care placement.

“We shouldn’t have people that are sitting, waiting, or hoping they won’t get infected,” Brooks said.

Additional topics emerged during the conversation, including how different generations comprehend stay-at-home orders, voting, and a new Philadelphia artists relief fund.

If you missed the conversation, you can listen to it here.