Crisis reveals character

"While everyone is susceptible to COVID-19, black Americans are at a higher risk..." says Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams. A combination of structural and systemic factors lead to more African American deaths from the coronavirus.” Read the full article here. 

As we hear the heart-breaking stories illustrating how COVID-19 does not discriminate, it has never been more important to apply a racial equity lens to identify our most vulnerable and at-risk neighbors. Communities of color are more likely to be in public-facing service industry jobs where the risk is greater; more likely to have underlying health conditions; more likely to be uninsured and not able to access healthcare. These health disparities due to structural racism are not new, just newly terrifying in the face of COVID-19. As we all organize emergency relief efforts,  I encourage you—especially if you are white like me— to practice centering communities of color and non-English-speaking communities inside your efforts. Here in Raleigh, NC, where I am, that centering looks like something as simple as having the list of emergency pantries in our county translated to Spanish. It can be as challenging as fighting for frontline workers in grocery stores (who may be disproportionately black or brown) to have proper sanitation gear readily available or have paid sick leave. It may mean supporting Medicaid expansion to cover the uninsured (who also are disproportionately black and brown).

This crisis is bringing new light to the health and economic disparities in our communities of color—and tragically, making a bad situation even worse for our black and brown neighbors. This could be a time for calling it what it is: systemic racism. We have a complex set of institutions and structures that have long needed changing—providing a living wage of at least $15 an hour, guaranteed healthcare, access to fresh healthy food, affordable housing—to start with the basics. Where we put our priorities in a crisis shows a lot about our character. Will we finally take a stand? Will we finally get that taking care of those with the least takes care of ALL of us?