The Philadelphia Inquirer took an in-depth look at the neighborhoods where gun violence is concentrated, almost entirely affecting Black and brown residents. There are 57 city blocks where 10 or more people have been shot since 2015. In those areas, the poverty rate is close to double the city average, house-vacancy rates are three times the city average, and life-expectancy rates are about three years lower than the state average. But the link between areas with structural disadvantages and high rates of violence goes back much further: 53 of the same 57 blocks were areas that the federal government labelled as “hazardous” or “declining” in maps from 1937. Such maps were instrumental in the process of redlining, which codified residential segregation.

At the start of 2021, half the population of Afghanistan—including more than 4 million women and nearly 10 million children—already needed humanitarian assistance. More than 500,000 people have been displaced since the end of May, and those numbers continue to rise. Thousands of people who have worked as interpreters, translators, and in other capacities alongside the United States military, government personnel, and contractors over the past twenty years, including Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants, find themselves and their families in danger. USCCB staff, Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities, and others are working to ensure safe passage for as many evacuees as possible, including assisting up to 30,000 people with resettlement in the United States.

The United States must remain committed to the people of Afghanistan and continue to support credible, accountable humanitarian efforts that benefit these millions of vulnerable people. Please click here to urge Congress, in discussions with the Administration, to ensure that robust and flexible funding be provided through respected and credible organizations with experience in Afghanistan. We must help people who remain in Afghanistan and Afghans being resettled.