
Democracy Now!
Coronavirus Racism: Why Black Communities Bear the Brunt Of COVID-19 Deaths
“Amid the intensification of the coronavirus pandemic, in the United States, early data is suggesting that Black and Latinx communities make up a disproportionate number of COVID-19 deaths. In Chicago alone, where Black people make up just 30% of the population, 70% of the city’s deaths were Black residents. In Louisiana, African Americans comprise 32% of the population, but 70% of the COVID-19-related deaths. Dr. Camara Phyllis Jones, a family physician, and epidemiologist say that COVID-19 exposes a two-fold manifestation of racism in the U.S., and Black communities are at particular risk due to greater “exposure” and “vulnerability” to the virus. “We are in more front-facing, low-income, underappreciated jobs, where we are part of the essential workforce that really isn’t getting its full attention, and certainly not getting the full protection that we need,” she says.
Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on nearly 1,400 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch their livestream 8-9 AM ET: https://democracynow.org