To rebuild the economy, America needs a new social contract Too many women and people of color are not adequately compensated for their work. And too many hard-working people in critically important sectors are barely surviving at the economic margins Many Americans have endured the most devastating economic downturn of their lives in the past six months. The Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic caused an acute economic crisis. The pandemic has cast a bright light on fissures and structural inequities: The housing affordability crisis is becoming an evictions crisis; Black unemployment, long twice that of white Americans, skyrocketed to nearly 15%; and women, especially women of color, have found their caregiving responsibilities have dra matically increased, potentially diminishing lifelong earning potential.