Here & Now

Noon Wednesday: Milwaukee's Coronavirus Racial Divide

Marisa Wojcik:

Welcome to “Noon Wednesday.” I’m Marisa Wojcik, a multimedia journalist with “Here & Now” on PBS Wisconsin. To date, Milwaukee has been the hardest hit area by COVID-19 in Wisconsin. And a new study from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee highlights the racial divide of the virus’s spread, particularly on the city’s North side. Joining me today is Representative David Bowen. He represents much of the area that has been heavily impacted by the virus in the State’s 10th Assembly District. And, Representative Bowen, thanks so much for joining us.

David Bowen:

Thank you so much for having me.

Marisa Wojcik:

So, Representative Bowen, you yourself had COVID-19. Can you tell us what that experience was like for you?

David Bowen:

Essentially, symptoms on my body were very intense and I am a healthy millennial, but this virus doesn’t really care about that, right. It attempts to give you a fever and to really stifle your ability to breathe. And, you know, at first I just thought that these were cold symptoms. Dealing with the cough, dealing with body aches and body chills, you just expect it to go away, or you expect it not to intensify. But within days, it really did intensify and I would say the experience was just very, very intense and I’m — I’m very sure that if I, as a very healthy individual had an intense experience, and if folks in my community deal with asthma, that deal with diabetes, that deal with hypertension and high blood pressure, that deal with these other pre-existing conditions, that they are having a much tougher time getting through, the chance to get through this virus.

Marisa Wojcik:

This new University of Milwaukee study said that African-American residents in Milwaukee are much more likely than white residents to contract COVID-19. Is that what you are seeing in your area?

David Bowen:

We’re definitely seeing a rapid expansion of the virus and folks contracting it. And, you know, from the time that I was on quarantine, really diving into the numbers and understanding within a seven-day time frame, the numbers of contraction ramped up probably threefold–about triple–and understanding why that is. You know, you have a number of families on the north side of the city that are black and Hmong that are dealing with multi-generational households. They’re also dealing with folks living in spaces that might not be as adequate for a family of a large size. So, there’s no real chance for social distancing to happen that way. You’re dealing with folks that are working in an economy that has a lot more service job opportunities rather than jobs that you could actually work from home. So, folks are taking the risk and the chance of possibly contract the virus and bring it back to their families. The under preparation of our communities all over the country to understand the impact this virus is going to have–from the White House and the president calling it a hoax and to you know folks and friends saying this is just a flu, it’s no big deal to untrue social media posts that literally were spreading this information, I would say, as rapidly as in the 2016 election. You are dealing with the conundrum of dynamics that are allowing this virus to spread. One of the, one of the myths was that even black folks could not get the virus and we all know that is not true right now. So much misinformation was spread around that that I think it really fueled a chance for the virus to spread, on top of folks just not being prepared, still having large gatherings, not understanding the real depth of this problem.

Marisa Wojcik:

What can be done and what more or what is being done currently to help this crisis in Milwaukee and in your area? And what more needs to be done?

David Bowen:

Sure. I think what’s being done is that there are really good messages that are that the health department locally was able to partner with and to use their voices to talk about the impact this virus is really having on our communities. So, folks really did take it seriously that you do need to social distance, you do need to stay away from hosting large gatherings. We’re also seeing some dynamics of community health providers stepping up to be able to provide services where people are more comfortable, community-based services, but you’re also seeing the need for especially our healthcare system to be able to expand access to care. I luckily had access to a primary health care physician that a lot of folks in my community don’t have. To build a relationship and have one consistent doctor that you continuously are able to see is necessary for our healthcare system. Folks in our community should not be relying on just emergency rooms when things get so bad that they have to get checked or they’re so used to not having health care, yet they’re self-diagnosing themselves and they’re expecting that what they’re going through, is just very simple. It can just go away with regular over-the-counter medicine or that you don’t have to go to a hospital. Or you don’t have to be seen by a doctor. But it allows these issues to fester and to grow into larger issues. The disparities in our communities of seeing the high numbers of more African-American folks with diabetes, with hypertension, with high blood pressure and the like, with heart with heart disease, and the like, that allow this virus to attack your body even more, and especially with asthma the ability to have respiratory issues. So, we know that those disparities have to be addressed. If we aren’t really creating system-wide multi-level pronged approaches with partnerships and government and private sector and community, there’s no way to get rid of those things. So, we need an all-out effort to really address things by equity, on an equity basis, to invest the resources in our families, in our communities, so that they have a fighting chance to be able to deal with the magnitude of a pandemic like this.

Marisa Wojcik:

What’s the status of testing in your area?

David Bowen:

Right, so I can, I can attest from the personal experience of coming in contact with my friends. Three of them contracted the virus from me and only one out of the three getting access to a test weeks ago. I would hope now that testing is more available, but I am clearly hearing over, time and time again, that testing is not being given out as available as it should be. A lot of people are just being told to assume that you have the virus and to stay home, but without them having access to care, especially if they have pre-existing conditions, it really puts their lives at risk that they could be in a situation where, you know, the virus can attack them and they will need the chance to be seen by a doctor or to be have access to more care.

Marisa Wojcik:

What’s the status of the economic picture of your area as we’ve been shut down for so many weeks now?

David Bowen:

Yeah, I mean the economic situation is dire. We have small businesses that are struggling to stay afloat, that are not getting access to the Paycheck Protection Program that was implemented by Congress. Those dollars are not being given to especially people of color owned businesses. So, we need to see some equity and some fairness in that to keep those businesses afloat. We also are seeing folks in the economy take up jobs where they have to interact with the public and sometimes those workers don’t feel like they are given the adequate safety measures to be able to invest into their families and their health and to be able to do those jobs effectively. So, we’re seeing folks that are in service-based jobs that are taking those risks. They want to be able be those essential workers that we need them to be, but at the same time they need essential benefits, they need essential pay, they need essential protections so they can protect their families, as well. My heart goes out to all of those essential workers that are time and time again going out and doing the work for all the benefit of all of us. And we really owe it to them to make sure that they are respected in their place in the economy.

Marisa Wojcik:

So what are your thoughts on reopening businesses and this kind of, this debate about reopening the economy? Where do you stand on that right now?

David Bowen:

Right, so I’m thankful that we are moving forward carefully and I think that’s what we need to do before we jump the gun and just say you know we just are going to allow a free for all and everybody determine on your own, your own measures. Because we don’t want this virus to continue to spread at the rates that will threaten the chance for folks to get access to care. At the same time, I know that there are businesses that could operate as we have, you know, some of the larger scale businesses that are being able to operate that should be able to be given the chance to operate safely and effectively. So, I’m thinking of a number of businesses now that are being rolled out by the, by the governor as the first phase. And I’m thinking of more businesses that–they are your mom-and-pop businesses, your independent contractors, that can do their jobs safely and effectively. And as much as possible, not take the chance to spread this virus and allow it to grow and fester. So, I really want us to take into account how do we do that safely, effectively, especially in the black community where, to us, I would say stylists and a number of services are really seen as hygiene rather than just being held off. And we want to be able to make a balance, to be able to bring those services back, especially for the essential needs of our community.

Marisa Wojcik:

The UW-M report not only talked about the racial divide but also the economic divide and that those who are of low income are also being disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus. Milwaukee and many other cities have historically seen the effects of the social determinants of health. Do you think today’s crisis is going to shine a light on where things actually need to be fixed and they will be fixed or do you see the today’s crisis as exacerbating an already existing problem?

David Bowen:

I see it as both. Right, I see the fact that my district encompasses the 30-street corridor right in the heart of the city of Milwaukee, where there were there were tens of thousands of jobs that were well-paying, that allowed workers to retire with dignity, and invest back into the family, you know. Most of those jobs are gone. We’re talking about numbers only in the hundreds now that are in that business park, and you need some real investment and you need a real partnership on multi levels to be able to invest back into that area. I think of the debate that we have right now in the presidential election around healthcare, right, and how we need to make sure that every man, woman, and child needs access to health care in our country, regardless of how much money they have, regardless of where they work. And this is–it’s something that’s very important. If anything, this virus is showing how we can’t afford not to. And I’m really focused on making sure that folks all across the aisle can see that this isn’t a debate between ideologies on the left or the right. This is the debate between life and death. And it’s time that we really shake that debate into what it really encompasses.

Marisa Wojcik:

Are there any personal stories from your district that particularly hit you hard when you heard them from constituents?

David Bowen:

Right, well, a personal one of mine is losing my mentor, Lenard Wells, who was in leadership of the Milwaukee Police Department. He was a huge community member and I’m thankful for the chance to soak up knowledge from him over the years. And years ago, especially even before I was elected and I was engaged in community organizing. I think of a business owner right in Shorewood, on the east side of my district, who lost her life. She’s was a co-owner of Nino’s Southern Sides, a soul food restaurant, and to lift up her story of being a part of the community and seeing the chance to be able to invest into our economy. There are countless others, folks all over our district that are dealing with the impacts of losing loved ones, of dealing with the threat of their loved ones losing their lives, and fighting through this. So, I think folks are looking for hope. Folks are looking for the chance to believe that we will get past this and that things will be better and that we will be able to get to the issues that have allowed this problem to fester so much.

Marisa Wojcik:

Often messaging around racial disparities can come across as blaming the very people who can’t control the structural inequalities that exist around them. So, when it comes to messaging, what do you want people to know about your district on the North side of Milwaukee and your constituents that you represent?

David Bowen:

I want folks to know… a couple of years ago in the Assembly when I think it might have been my first session and I had a colleague that talked about Milwaukee just being this magnet of crime and drugs and problems, and I stood up on the floor that day and I said that the folks from my community are some of the most resilient, the most loving people, and hard-working people in this state. I still believe that today. I believe that the folks from our community will get through this. They are doing everything that they possibly can to make sure that they have protected their families and their neighborhoods and their loved ones and that they’re not going to stop, right, that they believe that this does not end the story about us. This is a continuation of just how much that we have been through and how much far we have to go. And if we end up getting the support and the help, or we have to do it on our own, we will get it done. But I’m hopeful that we can get as much support as possible to get through this. As we can see that this virus right now is, it’s putting us in a position where it’s getting the best of us right now. But it won’t always be that way.

Marisa Wojcik:

Representative David Bowen, thank you so much for joining us.

David Bowen:

Absolutely, thank you for having me.

Marisa Wojcik:

For more from Here & Now and PBS Wisconsin, you can visit PBSWisconsin.org. And thank you so much for joining us on Noon Wednesday.