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Why African Americans Were More Likely to Die During the 1918 Flu Pandemic

Why African Americans Were More Likely to Die During the 1918 Flu Pandemic

By Commentaries/Opinions, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

By Rodney A. Brooks — When it came to getting healthcare during the 1918 influenza epidemic, America’s Black communities, hobbled by poverty, Jim Crow segregation and rampant discrimination, were mostly forced to fend for themselves. Opportunities for hospital care proved scarce, leaving many relying on family care and, where available, the small but burgeoning ranks of Black nurses. When the 1918 influenza epidemic began, African Americans were already beset by a barrage of social, medical…

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President of Guyana Dr Irfaan Ali (L) and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a joint press conference at State House in Georgetown

Warning Signs: Mike Pompeo Goes to Guyana

By Commentaries/Opinions

By Ryan Cecil Jobson and Matthew Quest — The latest episode of U.S. imperialist intrigue in the Americas deserves our critical attention. On September 17, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in Suriname, beginning a diplomatic tour of South America that will include additional stops in Guyana, Brazil, and Colombia. But what is the motivation for Pompeo to visit Guyana, a country demeaned until recently as the “second poorest in…

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