Overpolicing and White Vigilantes Amid A Pandemic: Black Americans Whiplash To A New Old Normal
Plus, journalists reflect on how earlier Black deaths could have been avoided and predict what a recession might mean for the Black community.
Speak Patrice Presents: Coronavirus News for Black Folks is an independent newsletter that aims to empower our community by sharing coronavirus (COVID-19) news and stories as they relate to the Black Diaspora.
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Photo by Retha Ferguson
It’s been a minute…
Hi, y’all. I took a week-long hiatus from the newsletter and here’s why (scroll further down for today’s news stories):
Since launching Coronavirus News for Black Folks last month, people have asked me whether it’s been difficult to go through the news, to immerse myself in a sea of statistics tallying systemic racial inequities, the stories of Black lives lost. Difficult, yes, but also empowering. Because not only has the data been laid bare, it’s also been acknowledged at televised press briefings held by white American political leaders and prioritized on the front pages of predominantly white-staffed legacy news publications in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. And with that acknowledgment came the question of why.
A patronizing question, considering the countless public health experts, researchers, scholars, and journalists who’ve dedicated their professional lives to answering this question, but it also offers leverage, an inadvertent alley-oop. What better time to address the more pervasive, systemic issues leading to the higher coronavirus cases and deaths among Black people, as well as the solutions. Quality health care, housing, mass transportation, employment opportunities, non-hazardous environments…
Then came the disproportionate overpolicing of Black civilians in the name of social distancing. Then the recently released video of Ahmaud Arbery being murdered two months ago by white vigilantes during his daily jog. The murders of Douglas C. Lewis and Nina Pop. The video of an unidentified Black woman body-slammed at Walmart for not wearing a mask. These series of events further cemented what the disproportionate rates of coronavirus cases and deaths among the Black community had already proven: systemic racism and misogynoir are just as fatal and pressing as the current coronavirus pandemic.
Yet while the data on racial disparities among hate crimes and police violence and deaths exists, and the hashtags memorializing slain Black women, men, and children crescendo throughout social media, the same attention and concern and consideration given to the coronavirus pandemic is lacking. None of those same political leaders and front page headlines are asking why, perhaps because these individuals already know the answer or because they’ve yet to correlate Ahmaud Arbery’s death with Douglas C. Lewis’ with Botham Jeans with Nia Wilson’s with Trayvon Martin’s with Emmet Tills and with so many others. The latter seems less likely given the prevalence of these stories, but the former is far more discouraging because it underlines the deprioritizing, the not mattering of Black lives.
And so, as a Black journalist who has committed her decade-long career to investigating and sharing under-covered stories for and about Black communities, to reporting on these lost lives, again and again and again, I gave myself a week to process, to feel. Journalism holds objectivity above all else. But objectivity does not require desensitivity and I don’t believe it’s exclusive of advocacy either. Keeping all of this in mind, I’m back with the same mission and a reinvigorated drive to help us stay up-to-date on the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent crises as they directly impact Black communities.
If you’ve read the previous posts, you’ll notice I’m still experimenting with the newsletter layout. Most of the past round-ups have been on the longer side, so today’s post features less stories and just the headlines and publications. I’d love any constructive feedback about what’s working (or not working) for you with the newsletter by replying to this email or commenting below. Thanks for reading and sharing (and, hello, new subscribers! We’re currently at 993.)
📍MUST READ
The near-certainty of a black depression | Vox
LGBTQ Americans are getting coronavirus, losing jobs. Anti-gay bias is making it worse for them. | USA Today
The Coronavirus Was an Emergency Until Trump Found Out Who Was Dying | The Atlantic
COVID-19 Took Black Lives First. It Didn’t Have To. | ProPublica
A new study shows just how badly black Americans have been hit by Covid-19 | Politico
Rural Southerners Take On the Coronavirus | The Atlantic
Donations Pour In For Brooklyn Nurse Who Remains On Life Support After Contracting COVID-19 | ESSENCE
Questions of Bias in Covid-19 Treatment Add to the Mourning for Black Families | The New York Times
When Maternity Wards in Black Neighborhoods Disappear | The New York Times
People of Color are at Greater Risk of COVID-19. Systemic Racism in the Food System Plays a Role. | Civil Eats
Financial and health impacts of COVID-19 vary widely by race and ethnicity | Pew Research Center
We Are Living in the Age of the Black-Panic Defense | The New Yorker
💡SOLUTIONS
'People are really suffering': Black and Latino communities help their own amid coronavirus crisis | USA Today
Kizzmekia Corbett spent her life preparing for this moment. Can she create the vaccine to end a pandemic? (Paywall) | The Washington Post
Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium offer free coronavirus testing during Ramadan | The Philadelphia Tribune
Bar Owners Launch a “Survival” Coalition to Support Boston’s Black-Owned Restaurants through COVID | Boston Magazine
Churches launch coronavirus testing program to address higher infection rate for black and Hispanic New Yorkers | New York Daily News
COVID-19 virtual town hall to discuss health, economic impact on black Iowans; community leaders are invited | Des Moines Register
Pedro Martinez, other MLB players form coalition for coronavirus relief in Dominican Republic | ESPN
This Mompreneur Went From Making Vodka To Hand Sanitizer | ESSENCE
🇺🇸NATIONAL NEWS
Scrutiny of Social-Distance Policing as 35 of 40 Arrested Are Black | The New York Times
Will COVID-19 Clinical Trials Manage to Include Black Patients? | Slate
‘We want to study you’: For black Angelenos, COVID-19 triggers fear of another Tuskegee | Los Angeles Times
For black-owned businesses, coronavirus is latest funding challenge | The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chicago’s African American women restaurateurs ‘refuse to lose’ their livelihoods to pandemic | Chicago Sun-Times
In Rush To Reopen, Many Blacks Feel Their Safety Ignored | CBS Chicago
Armed activists escort black lawmaker to Michigan's Capitol after coronavirus protest attended by white supremacists | Yahoo News
Two homeless men found dead on NYC subways over weekend: police | PIX 11
Coronavirus threatens a guarded tradition for many black Americans: Voting in person | CNN
There’s Never Been a More Urgent Moment to Build Black Americans’ Trust in the Medical System | Mother Jones
Despite Harsh Impact of Coronavirus Black Faith Remains Unbroken | BET
The H1N1 Crisis Predicted Covid-19’s Toll on Black Americans | WIRED
🔢CASES & DEATHS BY STATE
DC — Black Washingtonians Make Up Less Than Half Of D.C.’s Population, But 80% Of Coronavirus Deaths
FL — Coronavirus: Life-or-death cases fall heaviest on Duval County’s black residents
NC — The Racial Divide: How minorities are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in NC
OH — Coronavirus testing, federal aid skips black communities in Ohio [Franklin County]
VA — Fact check: Black people make up disproportionate share of COVID-19 deaths in Richmond, Virginia
WV — Data shows West Virginians of color disproportionately affected by COVID-19
🌍INTERNATIONAL NEWS
BRAZIL — In Brazil, coronavirus hits blacks harder than whites
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC — The Dominican Republic Responds to COVID-19 Locally
GHANA — Ghana president says one person infected 533 with coronavirus at fish factory
GUYANA — COVID-19 on the rise in Guyana, citizens urged not to travel to Brazil
HAITI — Haitian Doctor Says This Is The Worst Epidemic He's Faced [more: ICE deportations]
JAMAICA — Breakdown of Jamaica's 498 COVID-19 cases – two from quarantined St Mary area [more: mask deal]
UK — Coronavirus Killing Black Britons at Twice the Rate of Whites
DOMINICA — Dominica now has only one COVID-19 patient left
💭OP-ED
Covid Is About to Become the Newest Excuse for Police Brutality | The Nation
I Know What It’s Like To Be A Mother On The Front Lines | ESSENCE
What white Americans can learn about racism from the coronavirus (Paywall) | Washington Post
After coronavirus, black and brown people must be at the heart of Britain's story | The Guardian
As We Struggle To Stay Connected, Prison Calls Must Be Free | ESSENCE
Why the black barbershop experience may be a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic | San Francisco Chronicle
As coronavirus devastates black communities and workers, how do we protect their stories? | Philadelphia Inquirer
The coronavirus Black student debt crisis | The Black Wall Street Times
🎥VIDEOS
Questions You Should Ask Hospital Staff If Your Loved One Is Hospitalized With Coronavirus | ESSENCE
Kenya drivers struggle to make ends meet during lockdown | Aljazeera
COVID-19 in Africa: Misinformation thwarting containment | Aljazeera
⚠️ NON-CORONAVIRUS NEWS, BUT IMPORTANT…
White Man Fatally Shoots Unarmed Black Man After Car Accident in St. Paul, Minn. | The Root
Breonna Taylor: Louisville EMT Killed in Botched Police Raid, Lawyer Says | Heavy.com
Black Man Shot and Killed by Indianapolis Police While He Was Livestreaming on Facebook | The Root
I'm a black ex-cop, and this is the real truth about race and policing (from 2016 but still relevant) | Vox
Have you read our latest “Essential & Black” stories?
Amid global social distancing efforts sparked by the coronavirus outbreak, select businesses and services deemed essential have remained open to keep our society functioning. Many of these jobs are often low-paying with little-to-no benefits and mostly performed by Black and brown women. “Essential & Black” is an ongoing interview series that spotlights the Black essential workers risking their lives to protect ours and to support themselves and their loved ones during this pandemic.
A Security Guard in Harlem, NY Who Feels Betrayed By Her Employer
Illustration by Candii Kismet for Coronavirus News for Black Folks
A Pharmacy Technician In Rochester, NY Who Lives Paycheck to Paycheck
Illustration by Octavia of Pretty In Ink Press for Coronavirus News for Black Folks
WE WANT TO SHARE YOUR COVID-19 PANDEMIC EXPERIENCES:
Are you a Black essential worker? Are you on the front line of the pandemic? Would you like to share your story for a potential feature in the newsletter?
Submit your story here: https://forms.gle/UTGTD9i9mXG1oNwY6
Do you live in public housing? How has the pandemic impacted your building, your neighbors, and your quality of life as a tenant? Would you like to share your story and have your experience amplified?
Submit your story here: https://forms.gle/d47vVMyaPgHpNXWdA
Not an essential worker? We still want to hear from you! Do you have an interesting story to tell about life during the pandemic?
Submit your story here: https://forms.gle/ygicBGtUYPrnJRUL7
Okay everyone. That’s all for today.
Stay safe and take care ✊🏿💗