Above The Noise

Hashtag in this together. It's the new Coronavirus mantra. People are cheering for healthcare workers, singing from their balconies, and painting rainbows on their windows. It gets you all right in the feels, doesn't it? But at the same time, I'm seeing story after story about hate crimes against Asian Americans and Black people dying from COVID related causes at alarming rates. So I gotta ask, if we are really all in this together, why is the Coronavirus pandemic hitting people of color so hard? The numbers are scary. According to the CDC in the US, Black people make up 30% of all COVID-19 cases but only make up 13% of the total population. The Associated Press took a look at who was dying and they found similar numbers. One third of COVID-19 related deaths were black people. The data we have isn't complete. In over half the reported cases, racial data is missing. But when we look at the states and cities that do have that info, there is a similar pattern. In New York City, where the virus has hit the hardest, you can see that African American and Latinos are dying up to twice as much as White people and Asian people. I checked in with PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs to see what they thought about all this and they definitely wanted to dig into the issue. There's also that hidden inequity of different races not getting same medical treatment because of implicit bias and other barriers such as cost that keep Black and Brown communities from getting adequate healthcare treatment. I was also wondering like how the trust that certain communities have in the Federal Government translates to how much they would actually be willing to go to a hospital and follow social distancing procedures and all the Government measures. Is it based off of race or is it based off accessibility to being tested for the Corona. Okay, news flash, I'm Black. (giggling) Shocker, yes I know. And to figure out why COVID is taking such a deadly toll on my community and communities like mine, I decided to talk with, well, you know what, I'ma let him introduce himself. My name is W. Kamau Bell, I'm a comedian and an Executive Producer and Host of the Emmy Award winning, the three time Emmy Award winning CNN Series, United Shades of America. Let them know. (giggling) I'll bring the Emmys if you need me to prove, there're out in the other room but I'll bring em if you want me to prove. We believe you. - Okay. But you can flex them if you want. (laughing) Kamau has spent a lot of time visiting different communities, all over US to better understand the challenges that they face. So he seem like the perfect person to talk to about how Coronavirus intersects with race. I think if you turn on the news a lot of times they're just sort of like why is this happening? It's a one word answer, kids, and I don't mean that in a condescending way, I'm saying kids to even adults out there, racism, tadaaaaah. The simplest answer is usually the best answer, I think you learned that in school at some point. What Kamau is talking about specifically is structural racism. That's when a society is designed in a way that reinforces and perpetuate discrimination against certain races. In the US, that means people with color. So, how does all that relate to COVID-19? Well, researchers have known from the start of the pandemic that people with preexisting health conditions, stuff like asthma or diabetes are at a higher risk of dying from the virus, and Black people suffer from these conditions at higher rates. It doesn't mean that we're predisposed to it, it doesn't mean we are born into COVID-19, we are having it thrust upon us. We live in neighborhoods that are food deserts that don't have healthy food. A lot of time they don't have grocery stores. We don't make as much money as White folks. We don't hold as much wealth. All these things mean you have less access to good health and less access to healthcare. These structural inequalities can create a situation where Black and Brown people don't believe they'll get fair treatment. Well, they've done all this research that says that when Black people go to the doctor and complain about our pain levels, the doctors judge our pain level to be less than a White person complaining about the same level of pain. So even if you go the doctor and go, it feels like a nine as a Black person, they go, I think you said six. You don't know how a nine feels like. My mom is in the other room. She just let out a loud, mm-hmm (laughing) What's up mom, I'm glad. (laughing) I'm big with the moms, I know how to speak their language. (laughing) Unfortunately, the structural racism doesn't stop there. People of color make up a huge percentage of frontline, essential workers, which puts them at a greater risk of catching COVID-19. They can't work from home. They are check-out clerks at grocery stores, bus drivers in densely populated cities, and if you are getting food from a delivery service, there is a good chance that person is Black or Brown, too. Everybody who delivers groceries to my house is a Black or Brown person, and not one was wearing a mask. So, a lot of us are in the frontline in this essential work but we're not being paid or taken care for as if we are essential workers. Lack of health insurance is a big problem. A 2015 report from Kasier says everything you need to know. The access barriers facing uninsured people mean they are less likely to receive preventive care, are more likely to be hospitalized for conditions that could have been prevented, and are more likely to die in the hospital than those with insurance. Now, not al racism is structural. It can be blatant and right up in your face. As I'm sure you know, COVID-19 originated in China. That created an opening for racism and xenophobia directed at anyone who looks Asian, blaming them for the spreading of the disease. Some of the subtle racism against Asian Americans that may have happened before is just coming out in worst ways now. My mom has this scared mentality now of letting me step outside the house. When the virus started surging in March, the FBI issued this warning. Hate crime incidents against Asian American likely will surge across the United States, due to the spread of Coronavirus disease. And unfortunately, they were right. Complaints are coming in from all over the country, ranging from verbal attacks to physical assaults. So, this leads me back to my original question. Are we really all in this together? I prefer the phrase, it's on us. We are not in this together, but it's on us to get out of it. If we all come together and go, how do we make this system more just, equitable and anti racist, then this is the opportunity to do that because COVID-19 is hurting us because it's not a just system. So, eventually we gonna have to find a vaccine and hopefully learn some lessons from all of this. But structural racism ain't going away anytime soon. So what can we as a country do to actively fight against racism, whatever form it takes. How can we make sure when the next pandemic comes around, we really are hashtag in this together. Remember, it's on us if we wanna make it happen. Until next time, I'm your host Myles Bess. Peace out.