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As early regional and national data on race
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becomes available, it is devastatingly clear that Black, Latinx, and
Native communities are being hit the hardest by this pandemic. People of
color are more likely to be working in jobs deemed essential
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, and therefore are at much greater risk of exposure to COVID-19. Health
inequities, seen in conditions such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes,
asthma, lack of access to quality health care, and underemployment are
all factors that increase COVID-19 complications in patients of color.
Let's be clear: Coronavirus kills, and structural racism is its
accomplice.
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While some are able to shelter in place and work remotely, many workers
of color have no choice. We call on federal and state governments to
release race and ethnicity data on COVID-19 testing, patients and health
outcomes. This data should inform how we invest our time, our resources,
and our energy. Ending the coronavirus threat requires us to start by
attending to those who are most impacted .
Yet, shockingly, this administration blames people of color
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for their own deaths. The U.S. Surgeon General suggested
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that patients of color are personally responsible, urging Black and
Brown communities to "avoid alcohol, tobacco, and drugs." They, along
with Republican lawmakers, have fomented anti-Asian violence
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by calling COVID-19 "the Chinese virus."
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These explicitly racist calls—they go far beyond "dog whistle"
politics—show that they are more skilled in attacking people of color
than in attacking the virus. Their rhetoric is meant to deflect
criticism of their deadly and disastrous failures, not to end the global
threat of COVID-19.
What we know is that the best science supports a racial equity approach,
and that a racial equity approach advances the fight against
coronavirus. Ending the threat requires us to target our strategies and
resources
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towards those who are most impacted
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by this pandemic, those least able to social distance
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or shelter in place, those facing the worst health inequities
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, those whom the administration and other demagogues would abandon and
endanger
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. Instead of blaming and stigmatizing those who are most at risk of
contracting COVID-19, Race Forward demands that we center their needs,
and attack the disease with the urgency the moment demands. Structural
racism is the pre-existing condition. Ending the threat of the virus
means attacking structural racism. Want to learn more? Join our Race and
Pandemics Webinar
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.
Check out our latest below!
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Race Forward in the Media
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Our team members address immediate impacts of COVID-19
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Glenn Harris
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, President of Race Forward, recently spoke to the Seattle Times
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about the importance of data in addressing COVID-19. He discussed how
Race Forward's Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE)
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worked with Milwaukee County to create its health and racial equity
framework, which placed an emphasis on the importance of public data
about race. GARE Director Gordon Goodwin
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recently spoke with ProPublica
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about why Black people are systemically at a higher risk of infection
during the Coronavirus pandemic. The story highlights how African
Americans gravitated to jobs viewed as reliable paths to the middle
class — health care, transportation, government, food supply — which are
now deemed "essential." Those very jobs now mean those people are unable
to stay home. "This is a matter of taking a look at how our history kept
people from actually being fully included," Gordon says
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.
Race Forward's Philanthropy Project Director Michele Kumi Baer
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recently authored an op-ed titled "Funding in the Time of COVID-19:
Questions to Deepen Racial Equity"
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. In the piece, Michele lays out several important questions for funders
and philanthropic organizations to consider in this moment of crisis to
avoid potential harmful actions towards affected communities of color.
Some of these questions include: "Is your response race-silent or is it
race-explicit? and "are you assuming that "responsive" means
"first-come, first-served"? Read Michele Kumi Baer's list of questions
that funders should be asking
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, and share it with a friend on Facebook
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.
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Colorlines Coverage on COVID-19
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Race-explicit coverage on the Coronavirus pandemic
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During the ongoing national emergency, the Colorlines
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team is committed to providing race-explicit daily coverage of the
COVID-19 pandemic, and to lifting up resources for communities of color.
Subscribe
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to Colorlines' weekly newsletter to receive our most up to date
Coronavirus reporting
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.
Here are three recommended readings:
Power to the People: 40+ Grassroots Activists Step Up During the
COVID-19 Crisis
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Mask Protection, But Not While Black
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Black Folk Were Left Behind During the AIDS Crisis. We Refuse to Be
Ignored During the COVID-19 Pandemic [Op-Ed]
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Check out Colorlines' additional COVID-19 coverage:
'It's the Oldest Story': Biased Medicine Continues During the Pandemic
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Native Americans Fight Multiple COVID-19 Crises
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In Crisis, the Government Changes Stance on Gay Men Donating Blood
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Latinx Communities Fear Financial Ruin Because of COVID-19
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Farmworkers Are Essential, Yet Remain Unprotected
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Racial Erasure: When Coronavirus Numbers Don't Add Up
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Staff Picks
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Credit: Consequence of Sound
During these trying times, it's important to share the small things that
keep us going. In this edition, we hear from Colorlines Editorial
Assistant, Tracey Onyenacho
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.
"I've been listening to Hozier's album "Wasteland, Baby!"
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. The album has deep and sensitive lyrics splashed against harsh and
edgy sounds that suggest that even though it may seem like the world is
ending around us, there's always a sweetness and strength to hold onto.
It shows up in the moment where, as Hozier sings, "the harder the rain,
the sweeter the sun."
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In solidarity,
Team Race Forward
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