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    Why The Coronavirus Looks Different To Black America

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    Jenny S
    The coronavirus pandemic is disproportionately affecting black Americans. In Georgia, over half of COVID-19 deaths were among black residents, even though they make up less than a third of the state's population. This is due to longstanding racial inequalities in healthcare, housing, and employment that put black communities at higher risk. The mayor of Savannah took early and aggressive action to enforce social distancing and shelter-in-place orders because he recognized these inequalities left black residents more vulnerable to the virus. While some criticized the measures as too extreme, most black residents now support the mayor's actions, recognizing that the virus does not discriminate but prevailing social conditions have put their communities at greater risk.

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    Why The Coronavirus Looks Different To Black America

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    Jenny S
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    The coronavirus pandemic is disproportionately affecting black Americans. In Georgia, over half of COVID-19 deaths were among black residents, even though they make up less than a third of the state's population. This is due to longstanding racial inequalities in healthcare, housing, and employment that put black communities at higher risk. The mayor of Savannah took early and aggressive action to enforce social distancing and shelter-in-place orders because he recognized these inequalities left black residents more vulnerable to the virus. While some criticized the measures as too extreme, most black residents now support the mayor's actions, recognizing that the virus does not discriminate but prevailing social conditions have put their communities at greater risk.

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    Why the coronavirus looks different to black America

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    The coronavirus pandemic is disproportionately affecting black Americans. In Georgia, over half of COVID-19 deaths were among black residents, even though they make up less than a third of the state's population. This is due to longstanding racial inequalities in healthcare, housing, and employment that put black communities at higher risk. The mayor of Savannah took early and aggressive action to enforce social distancing and shelter-in-place orders because he recognized these inequalities left black residents more vulnerable to the virus. While some criticized the measures as too extreme, most black residents now support the mayor's actions, recognizing that the virus does not discriminate but prevailing social conditions have put their communities at greater risk.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    15 views3 pages

    Why The Coronavirus Looks Different To Black America

    Uploaded by

    Jenny S
    The coronavirus pandemic is disproportionately affecting black Americans. In Georgia, over half of COVID-19 deaths were among black residents, even though they make up less than a third of the state's population. This is due to longstanding racial inequalities in healthcare, housing, and employment that put black communities at higher risk. The mayor of Savannah took early and aggressive action to enforce social distancing and shelter-in-place orders because he recognized these inequalities left black residents more vulnerable to the virus. While some criticized the measures as too extreme, most black residents now support the mayor's actions, recognizing that the virus does not discriminate but prevailing social conditions have put their communities at greater risk.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    Why the coronavirus looks different to black

    America
    By Christian Science Monitor, adapted by Newsela staff on 05.21.20
    Word Count 918
    Level 1050L

    Image 1. Pitmaster Bobby Lewis tends the ribs and butts at Randy's BBQ in Savannah, Georgia, April 14, 2020. Lewis supports the mayor's
    aggressive enforcement of shelter-in-place rules. Photo: Patrik Jonsson/The Christian Science Monitor

    In early March, Mardi Gras celebrations happened all over New Orleans, Louisiana and Florida's
    beaches were packed with young people. In Savannah, Georgia, however, Mayor Van Johnson
    made the decision to cancel the city's huge St. Patrick's Day parade.

    This was just one of Johnson's early actions to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 is
    the flu-like illness caused by the novel coronavirus, which began in China in December 2019 and
    has spread around the world.

    On March 19, Johnson issued a stay-at-home order for Savannah residents and closed non-
    essential businesses such as hair salons. It came two weeks before Georgia's statewide stay-at-
    home order. Johnson even used drones to enforce the rules.

    Angry residents said that Johnson's early shutdown was too strict.

    Johnson had a different perspective.

    This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.


    The Coronavirus In Communities Of Color

    Black Americans are affected by COVID-19 more than people of any other race. In Georgia, fewer
    than one-third of the residents are black, but more than half of the people who have died from
    COVID-19 are black. This is true across the country.

    Some black leaders say this is because black Americans did not take the virus seriously at first. In
    reality, there are deeper reasons for the trend. Black Americans have experienced inequality in
    health care and other areas for many generations.

    Johnson says the coronavirus case numbers simply show what we already knew about these
    inequalities. People of color and people who are poor, less educated, or homeless are all more
    likely to be affected by the virus.

    That was why Johnson acted the way he did.

    "This Virus Ain't Racist"

    In Savannah, new coronavirus cases are slowing, and black residents are not being affected more
    than residents of other racial groups. Now, many of Savannah's black residents support the
    mayor's early stay-at-home order.

    "This virus ain't racist, everybody has to step up," says Bobby Lewis, a Savannah resident. Lewis
    supports Johnson's stay-at-home order.

    Sandra Elizabeth Ford works for the health department in Georgia. Ford says many people did not
    think COVID-19 would affect black people at first because it began in China and went to Europe.

    That had changed by March. Research showed that


    black and Hispanic Americans were more concerned
    about being infected with COVID-19 than white
    Americans were.

    Alford Young is a sociologist who studies human


    society. Young says there are many social and health
    factors that make the virus more dangerous for black
    Americans.

    For example, black Americans usually live in smaller


    spaces in more crowded communities and have closer
    relationships with an extended family that lives outside of the home. These are all conditions that
    can help the virus to spread.

    Deeper Challenges

    Still, the racial inequalities seen in the COVID-19 pandemic have been a part of our society for
    hundreds of years.

    One example is redlining, which is when the government and financial institutions refuse service
    to people of color because of their race, rather than other qualifications. The term comes from the
    practice of financial institutions literally drawing a red line on a map around black and brown

    This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.


    neighborhoods where they would not invest. Black inner-city neighborhoods were most likely to be
    redlined.

    Though redlining was outlawed more than 40 years ago, it continues to affect black communities.
    It has lowered black wealth, led to public schools with fewer resources, and made it hard for
    hospitals and health clinics to survive. This is a big problem in normal times, but even more so
    during a pandemic.

    Andra Gillespie is a political scientist. She says people of color are also at risk because they often
    work in low-paying service jobs, such as clerks at grocery stores. Since these jobs are essential,
    many people of color are continuing to work during the pandemic but they are not receiving the
    protective equipment they need to stay safe from the virus at work.

    Together, these factors make pandemics more dangerous for black Americans.

    Gillespie wonders what we can empower people to do to stay safe from the virus despite these
    inequalities.

    One answer is to build trust in the health care system. Jamila Michener is a professor of
    government. Michener says that negative experiences have made people of color distrust the
    health care system, making it more difficult for life-saving messages to reach them.

    Building Relationships Matters

    Lisa Price Stevens became a doctor to help improve this trust. As a black woman, Stevens says it is
    her passion. Stevens and other doctors worry that people of color are not receiving equal medical
    care.

    More than half of her patients are people of color, and many of them are senior citizens or come
    from low-income backgrounds.

    Stevens' team treats their patients' medical problems. However, they also consider other social
    factors that affect patients' health. They might ask about where they live or buy food to better
    understand their patients and provide the best care.

    "Those relationships do everything when you talk about health," Stevens says.

    Relationships are one of the reasons Johnson has turned things around in Savannah.

    Johnson says he will not be intimidated by people who disagree with him. "The vast majority of
    people recognize that these are extraordinary times that require extraordinary measures, and we
    have extraordinary tools to keep our citizens safe," he says.

    This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

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