The global pandemic has caused a devastating public health crisis, initiated a global economic disaster, and in the United States, pulled back the curtain on the deep-rooted racial inequities that persist.
But the conditions that allow the disease to flourish have a 400-year history rooted in racism—inadequate housing, over-policed neighborhoods, limited access to fresh foods, uninsured or under-insured health needs, poor-quality schools, and low-wage (aka essential) jobs.
For this writing, I’m not speaking of our front line healthcare workers (although we are truly indebted to their service and tireless and heroic efforts), but the other folks who work in designated essential roles.
The data is clear, African Americans are dying from the coronavirus at higher rates than other populations.
From the story of a young woman in New York who died from the virus because she couldn’t get tested, to the young man who was brutalized by the police in New York for not wearing a face mask, to the security guard who was shot for asking a patron to put on a face mask.
