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Coronavirus

Armed protesters provide security as demonstrators take part in an "American Patriot Rally," on the steps of the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing, on April 30, 2020

For many cautious African Americans, the move to reopen America is not a ‘black friendly’ campaign

By COVID-19 (Coronavirus), News & Current Affairs

“Nothing about this movement is really black friendly.” By Nick Charles, NBC News — As protests erupt over stay-at-home orders and the clamor to reopen the economy becomes louder, the coalition of people storming state Capitols — some armed with semi-automatic weapons and most not wearing masks or observing social distancing guidelines — have had one thing in common: Almost all of them are white. African Americans, for the most…

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People who believe they have COVID-19, and who meet the criteria, wait in line to be pre-screened for the coronavirus outside of the Brooklyn Hospital Center on March 20 in Brooklyn, New York

Coronavirus Is Making the Case for Black Reparations Clearer Than Ever

By Commentaries/Opinions, COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Reparations

By William A. Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen, Newsweek — The COVID-19 crisis only heightens the urgency of black reparations. Long overdue, they are now more essential than ever. Mounting statistics confirm disturbing evidence of racial disparities in reported coronavirus deaths. In Wisconsin, perhaps the state with the most extreme ratio of black morbidity, black people represent 6 percent of the population and 40 percent of the deaths. Those…

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People attempt to social distance as they wait in line in downtown Port-au-Prince on March 26, 2020

Haiti faces hunger as Covid-19 looms

By COVID-19 (Coronavirus), News & Current Affairs

By Chandler Thornton and Etant Dupain, CNN — Haiti is no stranger to crisis. Amid civil unrest, staggering unemployment, lack of quality health care and severe poverty, the country now faces a global pandemic that officials say could worsen its hunger crisis. “The situation has been described as a perfect storm approaching,” Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said in a briefing Tuesday, warning the spread of…

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The body of Ethel Freeman, in the wheelchair, was found outside the convention center in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

When Blackness Is a Preexisting Condition

By Commentaries/Opinions, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

How modern disaster relief has hurt African American communities By Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, The New Republic — Ethel Freeman became famous in death, even though no one knew her name. For months, she was one of the many nameless people who lost their lives in the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s deadly intersection of race and class. Her son, Herbert Freeman Jr., had successfully rescued the 91-year-old retired school employee from…

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An illustration about how the coronavirus is especially ravaging the African American community. Image by Jamiel Law for the New Yorker.

COVID-19: We’re in This Together (But Who Does “We” Include?)

By Black Family Summit News, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

By Dr. Sharon L. McDaniel, BACW Board President — We are strong. I know we will come through this together. Whereas now there is despair, desperation and death, there will someday soon be recovery, renewal and life. I anticipate things will change. Perhaps online grocery shopping and virtual doctor visits will grow in popularity. We may also see a higher occurrence of daily hand-washing as a result of our new habits. But who is the “we” who will get through COVID-19 together? More importantly, will “we” all get through this in the same way? While a collective impact brings us together, does that same collective impact separate us more?

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Dr. Liz Caballero putting on her mask before going door-to-door to check on residents in the El Carmelo municipality of Havana, Cuba, March 31, 2020

Belly of the Beast: Cuba’s Untold Stories

By Commentaries/Opinions, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

In the last month, more than a thousand Cuban doctors and nurses have traveled to twenty countries to join the global battle against Covid-19. There’s historical precedence for this. By Reed Lindsay, Belly of the Beast — AVANA, CUBA—Every night at 9 PM, applause erupts across Havana, filling the city’s dark, empty streets. It’s hard to see where the clapping is coming from, but if you look up, you can…

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