April 2020 Blog - On "Coloring the Pandemic"

During these difficult times we are all struggling. Those in relatively comfortable circumstances might say, “We’re all in this together. After all, the coronavirus is blind, right? It’s an equal opportunity killer, right?” Personally, I can socially distance, shelter-in-place, and telework. No problem. My white collar job allows me to avoid possibly contaminated public transportation. Many service workers, in the suddenly essential food industry, can’t. Privilege obscures the plight of those most vulnerable, often poor people of color. This pandemic is coming at them, in the words of Charles Blow of the New York Times, like a “heat-seeking missile.”

Some who touch others in their occupations – like barbers or caretakers – are in financial free fall. Folks living in “food deserts” without nutritional options, often in poor neighborhoods, turn to fast food. According to NBC’s Janell Ross, this exacerbates pre-existing health conditions like asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, which already disproportionally plague people of color.

Ibram X. Kendi says there's a “pandemic within a pandemic.” Steven Brown of the Urban Institute says, “When white America catches a cold, black America catches pneumonia."  Michigan reports that 35% of residents with COVID-19 are black, even though they only make up 12% of the population. In Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Black people make up 26% of the population but 81% of COVID deaths. Pandemic hot spots include Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee and New Orleans, cities with a high percentage of people of color.

Incomplete news coverage and little federal or state tracking hides COVID-19’s racial impact. Kendi explains, “Without racial data, we can’t see racism, and racism becomes like asymptomatic carriers—spreading the virus, and no one knows it.” This is nothing new. Before our founding, Dr. Benjamin Rush ignored how yellow fever devastated Black communities claiming that Black people were immune.  After WWI, few knew how many African Americans were killed by influenza, not surprising in a nation that has historically offered inferior health care to darker people. [See my 400 years post #42, #43, and #44.]

I urge you to support Senators Harris, Booker, and Warren’s demand that HHS Secretary Alex Azar collect complete demographic COVID-19 data. Most urgently, make sure communities of color have access to testing and care. Now, and in the future, demand holistic approaches to mitigate how this pandemic will exacerbate racial disparities, as addressed by the Movement for Black Lives. The recent stimulus bill will have minimal meaningful impact on those most vulnerable, especially Black Americans.

Consider these actions. Do they seem reasonable and/or effective examples of anti-racism activism?

Action #1: Join hundreds of people pledging to #ShareMyCheck. The federal emergency stimulus bill leaves out people who are undocumented, incarcerated, or who do not have social security numbers, bank accounts, or home addresses. I'm grateful for the resources I have which help me weather this crisis. If you find yourself in a similar position, consider supporting organizations that work to help the most vulnerable populations by using all or part of your stimulus check to help others less fortunate. Check out Resource Generation and Action Network for information about where and how to give. 

Action #2: Share this video "COVID-19 Top Demands Vision for Black Lives 2.0" with your friends and with your elected officials.  Educate yourselves on by going to the Movement for Black Lives website page addressing the COVID -19 crisis.  Call and write political leaders and demands solutions that directly help the most unfortunate, not simply large corporations and its stockholders. 

Action #3: Find out what local organizations are distributing food to the poorest people in your area and support them financially. Chances are many being helped though these services are people of color.