Black voices should help decide fate of ARPA funds
West Virginia has $1.335 billion from American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to spend in the next four years KANAWHA COUNTY: $34,598,499 MONONGALIA COUNTY: $20,513,893 MCDOWELL COUNTY: $3,423,255 CHARLESTON: $36,801,358 BECKLEY: $7,698,933 JANE LEW: $160,000 KERMIT: $150,000 OCEANA: $500,000
Black voices should help decide fate of ARPA funds
The 1985 remake of Brewster’s Millions stars Richard Pryor as Montgomery Brewster, a man with an odd mission – in order to receive his full inheritance, he must spend $30 million in 30 days. With bumbling sidekick John Candy by his side, hilarity ensues. (We also recommend Pryor’s 1979 routine about killing cars, which sadly won’t stop being relevant)
Brewster’s dilemma sounds like something only a Hollywood writer could conjure — millions of dollars just laying around waiting to be spent. Hey, West Virginia, want to hear a secret? We have millions of dollars laying around waiting to be spent! The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021, distributes COVID-19 relief funds directly to municipalities and counties across the country.
Every state. Every county. Every city. They have all received some form of ARPA money. The guidelines state that the funding must be used for COVID-19 recovery efforts, including infrastructure projects related to water and sewer, as well as expanding broadband internet service.
The state of West Virginia will receive $1.335 billion — yes, with a “B” — to be administered by the governor and Legislature. The cities and all 55 counties will receive $677 million, which will be spent by local governments. The funds are distributed in two payments, with everybody receiving roughly half last year, and the remainder at some point in 2022. The funding is allocated based on population, and smaller cities and towns (aka non-entitlement units of local government) are also subject to a cap of 75% of the most recent budget as of Jan. 27, 2020.
A few of the dollar amounts: Kanawha County will receive $34,598,499. Monongalia County gets $20,513,893. McDowell County will see $3,423,255. Charleston itself gets $36,801,358. There will be $7,698,933 going to Beckley. Jane Lew gets $160,000. Kermit receives $150,000. Oceana sees $500,000.
Here is the important part: There is a four-year window in which the money can be spent. We do not need to rush into this, and can figure out how to best help the state and its communities; especially its most vulnerable citizens.
Local leaders and community members have been encouraged to attend public meetings to discuss areas of need that could potentially be addressed through the allocations of ARPA funding in West Virginia.
Topics discussed in these meetings are:
- Pandemic-Related Challenges
- Targeting Greatest Needs
- Making an Impact
- Sustainability
- Pooling Resources
It is important that state and municipal leaders deliberately create the space for their constituents to share what they most need to move forward in a post-pandemic world. And, while electronic platforms are a good start, it is crucial to recognize that socially distanced in-person meetings are possible and necessary to ensure that low-income individuals, people without internet access, and Black and brown communities are heard clearly.
This must happen before any special session to appropriate ARPA funds is called.
We started BBG to help serve the underserved communities. We are just getting started, and hope BBG can serve as a resource for people. The more we do that, the more we will be fulfilling our mission.Thanks to the Tuesday Morning Group and Pastor Watts we know there are numerous bills that have been passed and not funded. (Read Joe Sevevino’s Poverty Legislation Not On Capitol Agendas)
We know that public input can be collected through many different mediums, including statewide surveys, listening forums, or an advisory commission with a broad membership of business owners, non-profit leaders, community members, and others would all serve as good places to start. There are so many other voices out there wanting to be heard as well. And, so often we hear that community leaders and influencers are invited to the table.
To help get those voices heard, the Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs (HHOMA), in partnership with the Office of Governor Jim Justice, is traveling to all 55 counties for a listening tour focused on ARPA. Cities and the State BOE and County Board of Education are doing the same. Charleston should be commended for its community engagement.
Outreach is happening, but we see an alarming trend that often this information is being exchanged absent of the very voices that the funding could help the most. We are talking about the vulnerable communities of West Virginia — we know these voices are left out because BBG readers are saying they are unaware of what’s happening, they do not understand it, and they are afraid to ask questions.
BBG hopes to help and is seeking your donations and seeking support to follow the ARPA process: From funding, disbursement, and the successes and failures that come as a result. We believe in our Folk-reporters program and know that this is the very type of issue that needs to be shared in the people's voice.
This issue includes ARPA facts that highlights the information disparity and how our oversaturated news cycle leads to a lot slipping through the cracks. People trust people — call or text us with questions, follow us on social media (@BlackByGodWV), and we will try to point you in the right direction.
The money is already there. Please, contact your county commissioner, your mayor, your city council representative, to get your voice heard. You can find out more information about ARPA on U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin’s website — https://www.manchin.senate.gov/arp — in addition to your local city and county websites.
In a way, you could say that West Virginia has won the lottery. Let’s hope the tale of the Mountain State suddenly coming into an otherworldly amount of money ends on a positive note, lest we forget the sad demise of Jack Whittaker.
Winning a $314.9 million jackpot — then the largest in history — and taking $113 million home after taxes sounds like a dream. It turned into a nightmare for Whittaker, whose life seemingly unraveled over the next two decades. He died in 2020, and reportedly said multiple times he wished he had torn up the winning ticket.
“I pretty much lost everything I held dear in my life,” Whittaker said in an ABC News interview. “I don’t like the hard heart I’ve got. I just don’t like what I’ve become.”
We are hoping to not see history repeat itself in that regard.
On a final note, not to spoil Brewster’s Millions for y’all, but the Black hero succeeds. We at BBG want to see more Black heroes succeed, and we can’t do that without the help of the governor and the West Virginia Legislature.
Sign up for our newsletter
Get the latest headlines from Black by God right in your inbox weekly.
More in Civics from Black by God
Eighth Grade Civics Refresher
An Open Letter To Senators Rucker, Azinger, Sypolt, Karnes, Maynard and Delegates Pritt, Smith, Tully, Longanacre, G. Ward, Maynor, Crouse, Clark, Horst, and Hanna
WV Black Pastors Present The Economic Justice, Fairness and Equity Movement
The Tuesday Morning Group requests allocation of American Rescue Plan Act Funds to support initiatives in West Virginia’s census tracts with poverty rates 20% or higher
OVER ONE HUNDRED FORMERLY INCARCERATED PEOPLE RALLY AT STATE CAPITOL
As West Virginia’s crisis of jail overcrowding and rising incarceration rates continue, justice-impacted people and criminal law reform advocates rallied Tuesday at the State Capitol on various pieces of legislation currently under consideration.
LACK OF LEGISLATIVE DIVERSITY NOT LIKELY TO CHANGE
West Virginia will continue to have a Legislature that looks less and less like the demographics of the state as a whole, with women and people of color further underrepresented in House and Senate chambers, and with white men over-represented by a factor of 185 percent.
West Virginia Law Makers Have a Lot to Learn about Cannabis
When I bring up the fact that Black West Virginians make up less than 4% of the state’s population but 19% of the non-violent cannabis arrests, they’re not trying to hear it." ~ Rusty Williams
A shrinking press corps can still shape a session
"..be able to swat down a bad-faith argument before it begins can go a long way in centering the most important topics." ~ Senator Owens Brown.
Black Policy Day and Delta Day Held at State Capitol
Hundreds in attendance to hear from speakers who shared their experience and expertise on policy issues impacting Black West Virginians and why it’s important for Black West Virginians to participate in the policymaking process.
MLK Day protester, Katonya Hart, arrested and kept in cage due to perceived racial bias
On Jan. 17 nine people were arrested during a protest in downtown Charleston. The protesters were calling on Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.
Recap of the 2022 BBG WV Black Legislative Policy Priorities Survey
"People of color need policies to thrive in West Virginia. We protest in the streets and go to court for things we are not protected by. Black people are always fighting for all and never make those elected officials accountable." Del. Walker
Press Conference From The Pulpit
West Virginians and New Yorkers Demand The Passage of Voting Rights Act In Historic Black Church In Charleston West Virginia
Delegate Walker: Black Policy Is Not Taboo
Policy & Process
March For Abortion Rights In West Virginia
In November 2021 Black By God published an article “Young Women ‘Match Harassment’ at Abortion Clinic with Motivational Messages” 🗞 In 2022 they share that story on the WV Capitol steps.
Why The BBQ Should Be Canceled
Black West Virginians must reconsider our support of Senator Joe Manchin who blocked several pieces of legislation that could have benefited Black people.
An Expanded Child Tax Credit is Essential for West Virginia
As Senator Manchin continues to negotiate with his colleagues in Washington, our families here at home continue to suffer.
BBG FOLK REPORTERS
A BBG Community Journalism Project
Impression of the presentation regarding the Construction of Nuclear Power Plants In West Virginia by Samuel Moss
By Folk Reporter and Charleston Native Samuel Moss - Husband, Father, Inventor
Citizens Guide to Online Advocacy For The 2022 West Virginia Legislative Session
We know there is no real democracy when the public is not actively participating in the legislative process. #useyourvoice That’s why we’re calling upon BBG readers to speak loudly through your online platforms to ensure your representatives still hear how their policy decisions will impact your life.
Myya Helm's BBG Story Q/A:
YOUNG, BLACK, & GIFTED in West Virginia Policy
OUR MOST READ 2021 STORY West Virginia Governor Jim Justice’s Petty Pursuit Of Greenbrier East’s Boys Basketball Coaching Job
"Justice has to take everything personally because otherwise, he’d have to live in the world of facts, and those are rarely on his side."
West Virginia’s 2022 Black Legislative Agenda
Folk Reporters And Survey Input Needed
A LOOK BACK: THE 2021 WEST VIRGINIA BLACK LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
As we plan for a curious 2022 Legislative Session. A look back at the 2021 West Virginia Black policy agenda with BBG Folk Reporter Kate Jordan.
African American Public Dissent In West Virginia
How public tensions of African American leaders openly advanced debate and provide forums for philosophical disagreement.
Racism x Redistricting
Republican Legislators Recognize Racism and White Supremacy In West Virginia.
Opinion - Malik Quintod Smith
Sen. Capito’s Lack of Support for the Freedom to Vote Act & Spread of Misinformation to West Virginian Constituents
FAITH LEADERS BLOCK ENTRANCE AT SENATOR JOE MANCHIN’S OFFICE TO DEMAND END TO FILIBUSTER
November 5, 2021, a coalition of West Virginia Faith Leaders, Community Organizers, and Activist from across West Virginia and the country held a nonviolent demonstration blocking the entrance of Senator Joe Manchin’s Charleston office.
Weed The People of West Virginia
The window of opportunity for action on Cannabis Reform in West Virginia is wide open! Change for West Virginians is more possible more than ever before.
We Must Stand for Our Democracy
Much like Nero fiddling while Rome was on fire, far too many of our politicians are more interested in self-preservation than preserving our democracy.
Addressing Trauma from Gun Violence
Gun violence is the leading cause of death and disability among Black males ages 15-34. Communities of color, specifically Black neighborhoods, families, and youth, are disproportionately impacted by community violence and trauma.
WV Taxpayers Need Our Legislators to End Qualified Immunity
West Virginia doesn’t need qualified immunity. We need assurance that our officers will truly protect and serve our communities.
How a Seat at the Table Can Lead to You Being on the Menu
While it was exciting that the WVDP finally developed the diversity caucuses, we left the first meeting with the executive committee deflated.
47 years late, WV Democrats' Affirmative Action Plan excludes minority perspectives
“We’ve had no input on this plan,” said Hollis Lewis, co-chair of the party’s recently formed Affirmative Action Committee.
The Black Political Voice In West Virginia – Got Something To Say!
West Virginia has the microphone. Use it!
Voting & The Class Of 2021
How can we help the Class Of 2021 in West Virginia as they begin their lives in the adult world of decision-making?
ACTION ALERT & UPCOMING EVENTS
#wvleg #wvpol #Blackpolicy
Young, Gifted, and Black In Policy
Something To Celebrate In West Virginia
The 2021 West Virginia Black Legislative Agenda?
As crossover day and the close of the WV Legislature is approaching, Black By God Folk Reporter Kate Jordan shares how her session began.
Diversity Problems?
Enjoy Our Sunday Cartoon.