Coronavirus does not discriminate based on age, income, or nationality. Some (most notably New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Madonna) have gone so far as to call the virus the “great equalizer”. Anybody who interacts with anybody else could potentially contract the virus. But to claim that the pandemic impacts everyone equally glosses over the massive resource disparities minority groups experience in the face of COVID-19. This pandemic is a sharp reminder of how race, class, and capitalism intersect in public health.
To start, Black communities in the United States are being hit harder by coronavirus than anyone else. Black Americans have contracted and died from Coronavirus at an alarming rate compared to other demographic groups. In Chicago where the population is 30% Black, COVID-19 deaths have been 70% Black. In Milwaukee where the population is 26% Black, COVID-19 deaths have been 81% Black. Residents of the Bronx, a predominantly Black and Latinx borough, have higher death rates than any other borough due to high rates of diabetes, asthma and hypertension, and other illnesses linked with coronavirus complications. Wisconsin Commissioner of Health Jeanette Kowalik explained: “African Americans in Milwaukee also face other socioeconomic challenges that can impact a person’s health. We must remember now and in the future that public health goes beyond just diagnosis and treatment and should be considered more holistically.”
Environmental racism is at the core of why Black Americans, among other minority groups, are particularly affected by the Coronavirus. The most likely groups to be affected by particulate-matter pollution are predominantly Black, Hispanic, and low-income communities. A new nationwide study just released showed that Coronavirus patients in areas with high levels of particulate-matter pollution are more likely to die from the virus than patients in non-polluted areas. Particulate-matter pollution results from industrial activity and fuel combustion, mostly from a high volume of vehicle traffic and closer proximity to factories, which reduces the body’s ability to fight off respiratory infections.
The CARES Act passed by Congress ignores these health disparities and their causes. The $2 trillion relief act, meant to offer financial assistance to those facing unemployment due to Coronavirus, did not account for anything besides the socioeconomic implications of the virus on an individual’s livelihood.
While the CARES Act considered only income disparities in its relief packages, progressive lawmakers pushed for Congress to consider other factors, like race, in distributing the funds. Prior to the signing of the CARES Act, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), prominent Democratic-socialist New York State Representative, advocated for a reparations-based relief act that would account for the effects of the pandemic on marginalized communities. AOC took to her Twitter account to express her concerns, tweeting:
While the first round of COVID-19-related federal aid addresses the financial burden of unemployment on all working class Americans, it did not acknowledge the burden that Coronavirus places on higher-risk populations beyond finances.
We need legislation that addresses the inequity in our healthcare system. With specific groups being hit hardest by the pandemic, it is important that Congress take into account factors beyond employment in their aid packages. Race-based reparations have long been considered to combat the legacy of slavery and discrimination against African Americans with financial compensation. In the face of the pandemic, now is the time to offer the long-deserved governmental support many Black Americans need to take care of themselves, their families, and their communities. With the virus hitting hardest in predominantly Black neighborhoods due to environmental conditions that have caused worsened health conditions, compensation should be offered to acknowledge the systemic root of the problem.
Join AOC in advocating for a reparations-based aid package for Black Americans. Your representatives can be reached at (202)-224-3121 (the US Capitol switchboard). They need to hear loud and clear from their constituents that everyone deserves a fair shot at life. In this case, throwing money into Black communities, equalizing healthcare systems, and bolstering individuals’ abilities to make it until next month is one tangible step. While it doesn’t correct the past, it is a step in acknowledging how far we have to go.