Secretary Pete Buttigieg currently serves as the 19th Secretary of Transportation. Prior to his current position, he served two terms as mayor of his hometown of South Bend, Indiana. He discusses transportation and infrastructure and how Black communities are disproportionately affected.
What will we lose if we do not if we do not address the infrastructure issue in this country?
You see it in damage to cars because of holes in the road, you see it in bridges shutting down because they’re crumbling, you see it in the lost opportunity for Americans who don’t have fast affordable internet who lose out on everything from the ability to succeed in school and to the ability to get a job. That’s why we’re so excited about today’s deal announced to invest over a trillion dollars in the coming years on everything from roads and bridges, transit and trains, and internet and water so we truly have the foundation everybody needs to thrive.
Why is access to high speed internet so important to the Black community?
Black Americans are especially vulnerable to being left out with the ‘digital divide’. In a lot of black families kids cannot do their homework because they don’t have fast, affordable internet. It’s not just making sure it’s fast, it’s making sure it’s affordable. This is important going forward because it’s going to create more opportunities for Americans, including black workers who have not been represented enough.
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