We begin June 2020 reeling from a global pandemic that has killed over 100,000 Americans, an economic collapse that has put tens of millions of people out of work, and the sights and sounds of black civilians killed by police. As a friend wrote to me over the weekend, it is a grim day in America.  

So I want to start this Monday morning with what I am grateful for: the thousands of protesters peacefully calling for change; the families of those we have lost, from violence or virus, for sharing their grief; the law enforcement leaders who are committed to holding themselves and their departments accountable; the faith leaders who fill the vacuum of national leadership with moral clarity; the business owners who support protesters, providers and patients; the entirety of the health care workforce, from the janitor to the doctor, on the front line; the journalists reporting the stories we need to know; and so much more.

Each of us should be treated with dignity, fairness and justice. By systems and by each other. What is clearer than ever is that silence is no longer an option. There is no long game. There never was.

Welcome to Monday’s edition of Noorani’s Notes. Have a story you’d like us to include? Email me at [email protected].

ANGRY – Even though their restaurant was damaged during protests in Minneapolis, one Bangladeshi immigrant family is expressing their support for demonstrators, caring for the wounded and calling for justice for George Floyd, reports Amelia Nierenberg in The New York Times. Although Gandhi Mahal Restaurant owner Ruhel Islam believes in nonviolent protest — he named his restaurant in honor of Mohandas K. Gandhi — he empathizes with the frustration of many Minneapolis residents. “Our younger generation is angry, and there’s reason to be angry.” And Joey Peters and Ibrahim Hirsi at Sahan Journal report that “[i]mmigrant business owners on Friday swept broken glass, boarded up windows and counted their losses. But a number said they understood the protesters’ rage, and several also spoke out for justice for George Floyd.” 

RELIEF IN OREGON – On Friday, advocates announced that the Oregon Worker Relief Fund has provided $750,000 in financial relief for immigrants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic but excluded from the CARES Act. The Herald and News reports: “Individuals who received aid in the first round included essential immigrant workers who tested positive with COVID-19, rationed food for themselves and their families, and stopped buying critical medicine. As parents, many workers were forced to choose between paying for internet so their children could attend school or buying food and paying rent.”

OUTBREAKS CONTINUE – 76 immigrants detained at the La Palma Correctional Center in Arizona have tested positive for COVID-19, making it the “sixth largest coronavirus outbreak at an immigration detention facility in the country.” Daniel Gonzalez at the Arizona Republic reports, “In letters written to relatives and immigration advocates, detainees at La Palma, some with medical conditions, say they are fearful of becoming infected and dying because they don't have any way to social distance. The detainees also say detention officials are not doing enough to prevent transmission of the virus inside the facility.”

GREECE – As refugees continue fleeing to Europe, thousands face eviction from temporary homes in Greece. Marina Rafenberg reports for AFP: “As of Monday, authorities will start moving more than 11,200 people out of flats, hotels and camps on the mainland, to make room for other asylum seekers currently living in dismal island camps.” There are no easy solutions here.

HONG KONG VISAS – The Editorial Board of The Wall Street Journal is calling on the Trump administration to offer green cards to the people of Hong Kong as Beijing undermines the city’s autonomy. “This is the kind of Reaganesque move that would remind the world of America’s big heart and faith in freedom. It would certainly be heard in Beijing, which would watch in horror as hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong Chinese took up the visa offers. The U.S. would benefit from a rush of new talent that is well educated and entrepreneurial.”

DISPROPORTIONATE – After analyzing the available data, Dianne Solis at The Dallas Morning News explores how COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted Latinx communities in Texas. “Latinos have been losing their jobs at a higher rate than any other demographic group in the nation, with nearly a fifth now unemployed. … About 46% of those who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the state are Hispanic, higher than their state population of 40%.”

Stay safe, stay healthy,

Ali