No, the coronavirus is not an “equalizer.” Black people are being infected and dying at higher rates. Here’s what Milwaukee is doing about it — and why governments need to start releasing data on the race of COVID-19 patients. By Akilah Johnson and Talia Buford, ProPublica — The coronavirus entered Milwaukee from a white, affluent suburb. Then it took root in the city’s black community and erupted. As public health…
The president was aware of the danger from the coronavirus – but a lack of leadership has created an emergency of epic proportions. By Ed Pilkington and Tom McCarthy, The Guardian — When the definitive history of the coronavirus pandemic is written, the date 20 January 2020 is certain to feature prominently. It was on that day that a 35-year-old man in Washington state, recently returned from visiting family in…
There will be no peace if underlying grievances aren’t addressed, militaries victimize local populations, and states fail to provide basic services. By Elizabeth Schmidt, FPIF — Late last year, President Trump provoked a furor when he declared his intent to withdraw some 1,400 US troops from West Africa, where he claimed they had quelled the terrorist threat. He sparked a similar firestorm when he announced that the U.S. would (eventually)…
The COVID-19 crisis exposes the foolishness of pretending that health care is a private marketplace. By Rev. Jesse L. Jackson — Who is going to pay for this? For months that question was used as a weapon against supporters of Medicare for All. Now, it is on everyone’s mind as they worry about the costs of the testing and treatment for the coronavirus. The virus is highly contagious. We need…
By Leon McDougle, MD, MPH — As I view the reaction to the novel coronavirus unfold in the United States, I’m reminded of lessons learned during the 2005 Hurricane Katrina and how the failure of infrastructure (levees) resulted in more harm to the public than the initial damage caused by landfall of the hurricane. Let’s fast forward to 2019, just as the national weather service tracked the impending strike of…
The disease is spreading, the surgeon general said, because many people are not following the guidance to stay at home. By Rebecca Shabad, NBC News — Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams warned Monday that the coronavirus outbreak will worsen this week and said that people across the country are not taking the threat seriously enough. “I want America to understand this week, it’s going to get bad,” Adams said in an…
Dr. Julianne Malveaux — Restaurants, museums, libraries, gyms, and bars are closed. So are schools, from K-12 to higher education. Classes will be conducted online or not at all. A local vendor told me her receipts were down by 85 percent, and she hopes not to close before the “national emergency” is over. Our streets are deserted, with some cities asking people to “self-quarantine”, or in the words of several…
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson — At a news conference, Trump went on record saying, “that would be OK with me.” What is “OK” with him is that the one to two trillion dollars in COVID-19 combat stimulus dollars won’t simply fatten the pockets of the banks and big business. He made the promise for a reason. The moment Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said they’d fast track the…
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA — Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) held an emergency telephone town hall on Friday, March 20, to discuss the coronavirus and its impact on the Black Community. The discussion also included the coronavirus’ impact on the prison population and the homeless. “Even though we’re in a crisis, we can’t lose momentum,” Bass stated in kicking off the one-hour discussion. Led by…
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson — The instant the first reports came in that COVID-19 is a new, aggressive, and especially lethal viral infection, the question was: will this pose an even greater health menace to African Americans? This was the first question about testing: will Blacks have ready access to screening and testing? Will the treatment care and facilities be readily available in poor and underserved Black communities? Will medications…
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