THE CORONAVIRUS: It's Our Responsibility To Advocate for the Most Vulnerable

On Friday I joined the second White House African American Stakeholder conference call, a bipartisan effort to address the disproportionate affects of the COVID-19 virus on the black community. This weekly call is organized by Nicole Frazier, Special Assistant to the President, Director of Strategic Partnerships and African American Outreach and hosted by Brooke Rollins, Special Assistant to the President, and Head of the Office of American Innovation. Joining the call are hundreds of Black leaders from across the country representing business, government, community, faith-based, non-profits etc. Friday’s call included rather satisfying updates from Vice President Pence, and CDC Director Redfield on federal and CDC efforts to stem the rate of spread in the Black community. It's truly a non-partisan effort, and these calls have served as a great resource to receive information and work across 'political difference' to determine best methods to get accurate information and resources in the hands of those who need it most.

Also on Friday, during the White House press briefing on COVID-19, Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams (next week's speaker on our stakeholder call) dispelled an ugly myth put forth by many who still haven’t joined the rest of us the in the world of enlightenment. He stated that there's no scientific basis that people of color are "biologically or genetically predisposed to get COVID-19, but they are socially predisposed to contract the disease". Well done. From that point on, Dr. Adams' remarks went left. In further addressing the disproportionate impact of the Coronavirus on Black and Latino communities, Dr. Adams began by urging that we stay home, wash our hands, and stay six feet apart. He went on the say, “avoid alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Call your friends and family, check in on your mothers. And speaking of mothers, call your Abuella, do it for your Grand Daddy, do it for your Big Momma, do it for your Pop Pop. ...We need you to 'step up' and help those who are most vulnerable". Many including me were quick to point out this reckless language and poor attempt to make some cultural connection. He did attempt to clarify his use of these colloquialisms as terms he uses ‘in my own family’ and called on ALL Americans to stop using alchol, tobacco and drugs, when pressed on the issue by the PBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor.

To be clear, I have no interest in trying to publicly criticize Dr. Adams (especially now) who like many of us is working tirelessly to stem the spread and impact of this disease, and it appears he is making very intentional efforts and progress by working together with community leaders to get results. I do think it's important (and our responsibility) to call out mis-steps that feed into, strengthen the narrative and perpetuate systemic inequities that ensure the very disparities we’re all working to eliminate. Where Dr. Adams missed the mark was failing to bring this point to the forefront of our nation’s consciousness.

A recent Washington Post analysis which looked into why Blacks in particular are being affected and dying at three times the rate of whites from COVID-19 highlighted four important causes.

1) Higher underlying rates of health conditions and less access to care. Historically higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, and lung disease are major contributing factors as has been accurately pointed out by Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institue of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Also, a 2014 study by the National Institute of Health showed that access to adequate and quality healthcare in communities of color is unequal. In fact the study pointed out that hospitals in black neighborhoods is far more likely to close than "provide quality care".

2) Black and Latino Americans more often hold 'essential' jobs and are more likely to work jobs that put them in proximity to the public and others who might already be in poor health. 'Social distancing' is difficult at best. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Blacks and Latinos are overrepresented in food service, hotel, taxi/transportation, retail and other public facing jobs. Consider the recent viral video of James Hargrove the bus driver in Detroit who complained about a women coughing on his bus without covering her mouth. James Hargrove died a few day later from COVID-19.  It's not that people of color don't want to or aren't aware of 'social distancing', in many cases - WE CAN'T!

3) Information. The problem is not a lack of information but communities of color are too often receiveing bad information. President Obama just recently stated, "the biggest mistake any [of] us can make in this situation is to misinform" and called for 'fact based' messaging. Mixed messages at the federal, state and local level has caused confusion. Too many people want to play messenger and they're only contributing to the problem.

4) Housing issues are exacerbating the problem. A 2017 Princeton University study found that Black children are more likely to contract asthma because they tend to have poorer living conditions; living in older buildings, segregated neighborhoods and near highways which cause them to consistently  breath more harmful air. They tend to live in more urban areas and suffer discrimination by being victims of housing code violations for asbestos and mold in their homes causing an increase in respiratory and pulmonary disease.

According to Dr. Redfield, the CDC will be releasing data on COVID-19 by ethnicity and geography, likely in the next week. It's all of our responsibility during this crisis to advocate on behalf of those who are most vulnerable; anything less is negligent and unjust.

[portions excerpted from the Washington Post and Bloomberg News]

[art by Khendie Wiley]