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As the world battles pandemic, the consequences of racial and financial inequality are yet again taking center stage
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Early stats are in from cities and states across America, and black people are dying at a higher rate from the coronavirus
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The COVID-19 pandemic has affected African Americans very differently than other races
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In Georgia, the latest data from the Department of Health shows African Americans account for 34% of
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the deaths. And we heard David Beigno report earlier today that he observed mostly black men in the
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ICU in the hospital where he was. Those numbers take your breath away. When we talk about
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equity and inclusion, they're not just nice notions. They are an imperative that we must embrace
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as a city. In Chicago, 70% of those who died from the virus are black. In Michigan, it's 40%
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In Milwaukee County in Wisconsin, it's 81%, even though the black population is only 26%
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In Louisiana, it's 70%. In New York the epicenter of the battle against the coronavirus in the U the hardest hit areas are those with the lowest income So why the disparity in the numbers you ask Let take a closer look at who likely to get infected by the virus and who likely to die from the virus
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For all the debate about how to handle the pandemic the coronavirus has caused, one thing is very clear
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The coronavirus is very contagious. Let's take the seasonal flu as a comparison
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For every person that's infected by the coronavirus, seasonal flu, they infect about one more person. As for the coronavirus, for every person that's
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infected, they infects between two to three other people. So once 100 people are sick, it's easy to see
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how that can quickly grow to thousands and then millions. This respiratory virus spreads primarily
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through droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The best preventative measure
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we currently have is social distancing. But not everybody's social distancing. But not everybody's social
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distancing comes at the same cost. Millions will be able to work from home
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drive to the grocery store when they have to, stock up for weeks, and comfortably and successfully
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social distance. Millions of others on the other hand will still have to go to work take public transportation and are only able to afford groceries for a few days at a time Some of these Americans are health care workers and first respondents
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But others are grocery workers, delivery drivers, restaurant workers, warehouse workers, and workers in various different service jobs
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And blacks and Latinos work in the service industry at a much higher percentage than anybody else
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And these workers will be exposed to the virus at a higher rate
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So far, we know the novel coronavirus has a very different effect on different people
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Some have reported very mild, flu-like symptoms, while others say this is the worst sickness they've ever encountered
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The risk of severe illness is much higher for seniors and those with pre-existence
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conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, and asthma. Blacks in America are affected by these pre-existing conditions at a much higher rate
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So combined having pre-existing conditions at a higher rate with more chances of being exposed to the virus
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and you can see why there are racial disparities when it comes to debts from COVID But that not all Black people are also more likely to not have health insurance which means less likely to have preventative care
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less likely to have access to a doctor, and less likely to live in areas where testing is widely
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available. So when activists are fighting for racial equality, when they're fighting to
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close the racial wealth gap, this is what they're fighting to prevent. Prevailing inequalities
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for decades and decades, have exposed black people the worst to a faulty healthcare system
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a faulty justice system, climate change, a growing wealth inequality, and now a pandemic
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If a recession follows this pandemic, which is very likely to happen, gifts will be affected the worst by it too
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This recession, just like past recessions, will be affecting the black community the worst
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Our median net worth will drop the fastest. We'll be losing jobs and healthcare at a higher rate
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Our physical and mental health will be affected the most. That's why we need to end this vicious cycle
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We need to take care of our physical and mental health. We need to learn about money
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And we need to support organizations that fight for racial and financial equality
