1,000 CDC workers sign letter citing a ‘toxic culture’ of racism

More than 1,000 employees of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have signed a letter calling for the agency to address “a pervasive and toxic culture of racial aggressions, bullying and marginalization” against Black employees.

The letter was first reported by National Public Radio. It was sent to Dr. Robert R. Redfield, director of the Atlanta-based CDC, on June 30.

“After decades of well-meaning, yet underfunded, diversity and inclusion efforts, we have seen scant progress in addressing the very real challenges Black employees experience at CDC,” the letter said, pointing to a “lack of inclusion in the agency’s senior ranks” and “ongoing and recurring acts of racism and discrimination.”

The letter comes as the CDC is confronting the most urgent public health emergency in its 74-year history. The federal response to the coronavirus pandemic has been characterized as slow and ineffectual, and some have criticized the CDC for its failure to anticipate and explain the pandemic’s effect on Black and Latino people.