Hey there --

As more and more states reopen this week and infection rates continue to rise, we must bring attention to how this pandemic continues to impact people's lives and livelihoods, and disproportionately affect Black and Brown communities.

The stories of people impacted by coronavirus, and the systemic racism in our health care system and economic policy, need to be recognized.

Here are five people whose stories you should share:

→ "It's the small, local businesses that keep the economy going," Reign Free, owner of The Red Door Catering, discusses the impact coronavirus is having on Black-owned businesses, 40 percent of which are expected to permanently close due to the outbreak. "You're literally going to drive down the street and see boarded up storefronts.":
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→ "The point of our presence here is to protect the people who are fighting for Black Lives Matter and Black voices and our First Amendment rights," says Sean Miller, a volunteer medic who attends protests to provide medical care for the injured:
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→ "Experiencing racism increases stress for Black and Latinx people, which increases their risk for health problems like diabetes and high cholesterol, which weaken the immune system in its fight against COVID-19," explains Dr. Kali Cyrus as she breaks down how structural racism exposes Black and Brown communities to higher risks of health complications:
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→ "To me, this was clearly a hate crime...If Georgia had a hate crime law, Ahmaud's killers could face additional sentencing for murdering my son because of the color of his skin," says Wanda Cooper-Jones, the mother of Ahmaud Arbery, who was murdered by racists in Georgia in February and whose death galvanized protestors across the country:
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→ "There's really no type of hope being in a jail like this with this type of situation. It's really no hope," says the cellmate of incarcerated man Charlie Hobbs, who died from coronavirus in prison while gasping for breath and making pleas that guards ignored:
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Thanks for making sure these stories are seen --

Emi and the PeopleGreater Team

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