Black Americans Have Been Dying Prematurely Long Before COVID, But Pandemic Highlights Disparities
“At the end of the day, racism is the original sin here,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “Racism attacks people’s physical and mental health,” he said. It’s “an ongoing public health crisis that needs our attention now.” Meanwhile, black Americans' economic circumstances were trending up before the crisis, but they have been disproportionately hurt by the pandemic shutdowns.
Los Angeles Times:
Cause Of Death: COVID-19, Police Violence Or Racism?
Doctors and public health experts will tell you that, compared to white Americans, African American people die prematurely and disproportionately of many ills: heart disease, stroke, COVID-19, police violence. The proximate causes of these early deaths vary. But there is a sameness to the pattern, experts say, and a common source of the skewed statistics. Racism — not in its overt, name-calling form, but the kind woven deeply into the nation’s institutions — harms the 44 million Americans who identify as black and potentially shortens their lives, according to those who study racial inequities in health. (Healy, 6/2)
The Wall Street Journal:
For African-Americans, A Painful Economic Reversal Of Fortune
In the decade before Covid-19, African-Americans’ economic circumstances, crushed during the 2007-09 recession, had slowly but steadily improved. Then lockdowns crashed the economy, and last week the death of a black man, George Floyd, at the hands of police touched off a wave of angry and at times violent protests. The events have highlighted painful inequities that continue to weigh on African-Americans, in their health, their incomes and their treatment by the justice system. (Ip, 6/3)
Bangor Daily News:
George Floyd Unrest And COVID-19 Reveal Racial And Economic Inequality
George Floyd died after a police officer pressed his knee on his neck until he stopped breathing, and riots have now erupted in cities across our nation. We can blame those police officers who participated in Floyd’s murder, and we can blame those looters who have moved well beyond peaceful demonstrations. But real solutions to these problems require that we probe deeper as we try to understand why our fragile sense of community has been shattered. (Jason and Hucke, 6/2)
WBUR:
'We Continue To Have A Racism Crisis': Advocates Say Clashes Shouldn't Overshadow Focus Of Protest
That’s why tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Boston over the weekend. The protests were peaceful, but after they ended, some people clashed with police. Sullivan said the actions of a few people shouldn’t overshadow the focus of the demonstrations. She and other advocates say it's critical to address the larger issues of systemic racism and inequality that sparked the demonstrations. (Enwemeka, 6/2)
Meanwhile —
Stat:
Many Black Men Fear Wearing A Mask More Than The Coronavirus
When the CDC issued guidelines in early March asking people to wear masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the question for many Black men was not where to get a mask or which kind. It was: How do I cover my face and not get shot? (McFarling, 6/3)
The New York Times:
Who’s Wearing A Face Mask? Women, Democrats And City Dwellers
As states continue to lift restrictions that were put in place to curb the coronavirus outbreak and as Americans start going out in public again, recent surveys suggest that gender, political affiliation and education level are factors that have a bearing on who is wearing a mask, and who isn’t. Public health officials have recommended wearing masks in public when social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, such as in grocery stores and pharmacies, and at least a dozen states have required them in those circumstances. And most businesses that are reopening are doing so with restrictions: fewer customers, social distancing and face masks. (Padilla, 6/2)
