Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health And Racism In Spotlight As Anti-Asian Hate Bill Nears
The Hill: Senate Aims To Pass Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Bill This Week
The Senate is working to wrap up an anti-Asian hate crimes bill this week as senators near a deal on changes to the legislation. The bill, introduced by Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), will likely come up for a vote as early as Wednesday, a Senate Democratic aide confirmed to The Hill. "I'm optimistic we can finish our work on the anti-Asian hate crimes bill later this week in the same manner we started it, with an overwhelming bipartisan vote. And let me say it's needed," Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said from the Senate floor on Monday. (Carney, 4/19)
AP: Asian Americans Wary About School Amid Virus, Violence
A Chinese American mother in the Boston suburbs is sending her sons to in-person classes this month, even after one of them was taunted with a racist “slanted-eyes” gesture at school, just days after the killings of women of Asian descent at massage businesses in Atlanta. In the Dallas area, a Korean American family is keeping their middle schooler in online classes for the rest of the year after they spotted a question filled with racist Chinese stereotypes, including a reference to eating dogs and cats, on one of her exams. (Marcelo, 4/20)
AP: Older Korean-Americans In LA Fearful Amid Anti-Asian Attacks
Yong Sin Kim, an 85-year-old Korean immigrant living in a senior apartment complex in downtown Los Angeles, says he rarely leaves home these days. When he does, he carries a whistle with him; at least he could call for help if he’s attacked. Three floors up in the same building, Hyang Ran Kim, 74, waits for her daughter to pick her up. She is temporarily moving into her daughter’s place in a quieter neighborhood in the suburbs. Kim says her daughter is worried about her safety. Amid a surge of anti-Asian violence, fear creeps in and alters the daily life of vulnerable Asian seniors. (Hong, 4/20)
In other news about health and racism —
CBS News: Racism's Corrosive Impact On The Health Of Black Americans
When the Centers for Disease Control declared last week that racism is a serious public health threat in America, it acknowledged something that researchers have found for decades: on nearly every measure of health, African Americans are more prone to serious disease and premature death. The coronavirus pandemic has provided devastating evidence of this: Black Americans have died of COVID-19 at twice the rate of Whites, and so far are being vaccinated at a dramatically lower rate. Poverty and unequal access to high-quality health care play a role in these disparities, but this is not a matter of genetics. Harvard researcher David Williams has spent his career showing what the CDC now recognizes: racism itself can be a killer. (Whitaker, 4/18)
ABC News: Universities Provide Mental Health Support To Students As Derek Chauvin Trial Continues
Several universities and colleges across the country have reached out to students to provide campus support and resources as deliberations continue in the Derek Chauvin trial. Universities including Princeton University, Penn State, Syracuse, Boston University, Northwestern University, Grinnell College, Binghamton University and Columbia College Chicago have reached out to their student communities, listing mental health resources and virtual community spaces to help students and faculty process a trial that has sent shockwaves across the country. (Arancio, 4/20)
AP: Did Mask Hamper Chauvin's Image At Murder Trial?
The mask that former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was required to wear during most of his trial in George Floyd ’s death hid his reaction to testimony, including any signs of sympathy or remorse that legal experts said could make a difference to jurors. As his attorney delivered closing arguments in his defense, his mask came off. Coronavirus concerns forced Chauvin and other participants to wear masks except when they were addressing the court. Chauvin, wearing a light gray suit with a blue shirt and blue tie, removed his mask Monday while his defense attorney presented his closing arguments to jurors. While prosecutors made their case, though, he kept his mask on with his eyes mostly focused on taking notes. (Groves, 4/19)
