Black Churches, Black Hair, and A Racial Time Bomb
A must-read report about alarming death rates data, a Q&A about advocating for yourself at the hospital, and an op-ed about accepting that this, too, will *not* pass anytime soon (and why that's OK.)
Hello everyone (feel free to scroll down to the stories!),
Welcome to the very first email from SpeakPatrice Presents: Coronavirus News for Black Folks. This also marks the first Black Folks Bulletin, a weekly curated round-up of stories about the coronavirus disease and the pandemic as they relate to Black folks. (I’m figuring this out as I go along, so I’ll gladly welcome any constructive feedback on the layout, the content, etc.
I spent my Saturday night combing through a range of publications (also did some random keyword-based googling) to find articles, interviews, and opinion essays that are as informative and comprehensive as they are compelling and engaging. Please email me any relevant stories you come across in the coming week.
Anyways, y’all have a long list of reading recommendations below, so I’ll wrap it up here. And if you support what I’m aiming to do with this newsletter (read about that here), please share this newsletter with at least one loved one or acquaintance.
Stay safe and take care.
MUST-READ STORY OF THE WEEK:
Early Data Shows African Americans Have Contracted and Died of Coronavirus at an Alarming Rate [link]
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
“It will be unimaginable pretty soon,” said Dr. Celia J. Maxwell, an infectious disease physician and associate dean at Howard University College of Medicine, a school and hospital in Washington dedicated to the education and care of the black community. “And anything that comes around is going to be worse in our patients. Period. Many of our patients have so many problems, but this is kind of like the nail in the coffin.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks virulent outbreaks and typically releases detailed data that includes information about the age, race and location of the people affected. For the coronavirus pandemic, the CDC has released location and age data, but it has been silent on race. The CDC did not respond to ProPublica’s request for race data related to the coronavirus or answer questions about whether they were collecting it at all. [continue reading here]
NATIONAL NEWS:
Health Issues For Blacks, Latinos And Native Americans May Cause Coronavirus To Ravage Communities [link]
—by Deborah Barfield Barry, USA Today
Clarke, author of “Excuse Me Doctor! I’ve Got What?'', said many studies have found bias in the health care system, and she’s worried about some medical professionals minimizing symptoms when people of color seek care.
“I’m concerned about that day, God forbid, we get to that in this county, where choices have to be made about who gets a ventilator,” she said. [continue reading here]
Black People Make Up 12% Of Michigan's Population — And At Least 40% Of Its Coronavirus Deaths [link]
— by Steve Neavling, Detroit Metro Times
A quarter of the deaths and confirmed infections are in Detroit, where 80% of the population is Black. Suburban communities with large Black populations have also been hit hard by the coronavirus. They include Eastpointe, Ecorse, Highland Park, Oak Park, Redford Township, River Rouge, Roseville, Southfield, and Warren, according to an analysis by Bridge. [continue reading here]
How to Advocate for Yourself During an Emergency Room Visit [link]
Dr. Cwanza Pinckney, an ER doctor in Houston, offers tips on how to champion yourself in a pandemic. — by Christina M. Tapper, Zora
I also recommend, and this is very important, keeping a written documentation of your medical history and medicines. What we tend to do, culturally, is when we are asked if we have medical problems, we may not tell the whole story. And then, upon further discussion, doctors will find that the patient is taking medication for blood pressure or diabetes, which means there are chronic medical problems. But sometimes people don’t acknowledge that as such. It’s a shift in mindset to understand that if you are taking medication for something, that is technically considered a medical problem. [continue reading here]
Meet The Black Woman Taking The Lead To Develop A Vaccine For Covid-19 [link]
— by Dana Givens, Black Enterprise
Corbett started her work in January when researchers first learned how infectious and contagious COVID-19 was and how easily it can be spread. The team was formed to develop a safe and effective vaccine with Dr. Corbett leading the charge. She has nearly 10 years of research experience that entails elucidating mechanisms of viral pathogenesis and host immunity as they pertain to vaccine development. [continue reading here]
For Black Parishioners, A New Normal: Church Extends Beyond A Building [link]
The coronavirus outbreak is forcing black churches and funeral directors to rely more on technology than ever before. — by Patrice Gaines, NBC News
(Photo by Diane Helentjaris on Unsplash)
It's time to answer important questions, said the Rev. Traci Blackmon, senior pastor of Christ The King Church of Christ in Florissant, Missouri.
"How is church going to form community for people who are isolated?" Blackmon asked. "How will the church mobilize outside the building to make sure people's needs are met?" [continue reading here]
How Coronavirus Has Affected The Black Hair Business [link]
—by Darian Symoné Harvin, R29Unbothered
Emmy Award-winning hairstylist Angela Christine was working on the set of a feature film when the studio eventually made the decision to postpone production. Now, she plans to put more emphasis on creating how-to videos from home, sending product recommendations and promoting her children’s book, Hair.
“I'm still structuring what I plan on teaching based on the demand,” Christine told R29Unbothered. “I'm going to give out more free content to see where people have a desire to learn and based on that feedback, I can tailor things for people.” [continue reading here]
A Former NFL Player Training To Be A Neurosurgeon Is On The Frontlines Of The Fight Against COVID-19 [link]
—by Tomas Kassahun, Blavity
"Football has never left me. I still wake up in the morning and think of the operating room like a game, like 'it's showtime let's perform,'" he said. "I got to do what I got to do because people are counting on us right now. This is our time to help very sick people. And so that motivation continues to drive me every single day." [continue reading here]
A Detroit Bus Driver Died Of The Coronavirus After Complaining Of A Coughing Passenger In A Viral Video [link]
"For you to get on the bus...and cough several times without covering up your mouth...that lets me know that some folks don’t care," Jason Hargrove said in the video. — by Julia Reinstein, BuzzFeed News
"This coronavirus shit is for real, and we out here as public workers, doing our job, trying to make an honest living to take care of our families," Hargrove said in the now-viral video. "But for you to get on the bus...and cough several times without covering up your mouth and you know that we in the middle of a pandemic, that lets me know that some folks don’t care." [continue reading here]
https://www.facebook.com/1242205136/videos/10222496193013898/
WMU Student Who Died Of Covid-19 Was Refused Test, Sister Says [link]
— by Christine MacDonald, The Detroit News
The student, Bassey Offiong, was expected to graduate with a chemical engineering degree in a few weeks. His sister, Asari Offiong, said her brother told her he was turned down several times for the coronavirus test in the Kalamazoo area while living off-campus despite having fever, fatigue and shortness of breath.
"I told him to ask them to test him," Offiong said. "He said they refused to test him." [continue reading here]
They Can’t Afford to Quarantine. So They Brave the Subway. [link]
Subway use has plummeted in recent weeks, but in poorer areas of New York City, many people are still riding. — by Christina Goldbaum and Lindsey Rogers Cook, The New York Times
Now the subway has become more of a symbol of the city’s inequality, amplifying the divide between those with the means to safely shelter at home and those who must continue braving public transit to preserve meager livelihoods.
“This virus is very dangerous. I don’t want to get sick, I don’t want my family to get sick, but I still need to get to my job,” said Yolanda Encanción, a home health aide, as she waited for her train in the Bronx. [continue reading here]
(Photo by Arthur Lambillotte on Unsplash)
Rev. Al Sharpton Urges Black Faith Leaders To Forgo In-Person Holy Week Services [link]
"It is reckless and disgraceful to endanger the lives of congregants," Sharpton says. — by Tanya A. Christian, ESSENCE
“This is an urgent call to all denominational leaders to refrain from convening church services in person because it is reckless and disgraceful to endanger the lives of congregants,” Sharpton told ESSENCE via email. “We are just days away from Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday and these pastors, who willfully ignore the gravity of this pandemic and the seriousness of social distancing, are not doing God’s work by risking the lives of innocent people.” [continue reading here]
GLOBAL NEWS:
France Racism Row Over Doctors' Africa Testing Comments [link]
— by BBC
During the debate on TV channel LCI, Camille Locht, head of research at the Inserm health research group, was talking about a trial in Europe and Australia.
Jean-Paul Mira, head of intensive care at Cochin hospital in Paris, then says: “If I can be provocative, shouldn't we be doing this study in Africa, where there are no masks, no treatments, no resuscitation?” [continue reading here]
African Governments Team Up With Tech Giants To Fight Coronavirus Lies [link]
— by Alexis Akwagyiram, Reuters
In Lagos, artist Aderemi Adegbite shook his head at a false rumour on WhatsApp that the government intended to spray coronavirus-fighting chemicals from a plane.
“These messages are actually a big problem, even though they look or sound funny,” he said. “We are in a serious situation.” [continue reading here]
How The Homeless Survive With Covid-19 On The Loose [link]
— By Sharlene Hendricks, Jamaican Observer
Alton Davis, who lives in an abandoned building also on the corner of Hanover Street and Sutton Street, downtown Kingston, in what he said was once a Lodge building, told the Sunday Observer that he tries his best to observe social distancing, despite having to share the dilapidated structure with eight others.
“Mi try fi clean up my likkle section but not everybody in here cooperate,” said Davis, explaining that while he welcomed the curfew, he feared that the lack of cooperation would lead to a total lockdown. [continue reading here]
OPINION:
The Racial Time Bomb in the Covid-19 Crisis [link]
Pre-existing health conditions leave one group particularly vulnerable. — by Charles M. Blow, The New York Times
A younger member, a rising chef in his 30s, had died. As the email read, he passed away “due to immune system complications resulting from contracting the Covid-19 virus as a Type-1 diabetic.” He was in Detroit, which has emerged as a hot spot for the virus.
This was the third death I’d heard about of someone with a connection to my college or a friend who went there. All relatively young, all black men, all diabetics. The two others were in New Orleans, another emerging hot spot. [continue reading here]
A Virus Doesn’t Care Where You’re From [link]
The pandemic makes clear there is no such thing as a “Chinese” or “African” virus. — by Láolú Senbanjo, The New York Times
The lesson many people still need to learn is that disease is something that afflicts the human body — not the Chinese body, the African body, or the Western body. The moment a disease is regionalized, humanity is erased in a dishonest and dangerous attempt to reduce one another to a nationality. [continued reading here]
The Hollowness of ‘This, Too, Shall Pass’ [link]
Black women have been telling one another that things will get better for generations. Then came the coronavirus. — by Kaitlyn Greenidge, The New York Times
It’s a hard lesson for a middle schooler. It is a lesson that a majority of adults I know would reject. But I wonder how much further we could get, how much wider we could imagine solutions to this crisis, if we set aside the false belief that time always moves us toward a better tomorrow. [continue reading here]
INTERVIEW/PROFILE:
For This N.B.A. Rookie, Reality TV Is an Escape That Feels Like Home [link]
Rui Hachimura, a Washington Wizards forward, has found comfort and meaning in the hit Japanese reality show “Terrace House.” — by Scott Cacciola, The New York Times
Stuck at home like so many others as the coronavirus pandemic continues its spread, Hachimura, 22, has occupied himself by working out, playing video games, filming a public-service announcement for the World Health Organization and watching more “Terrace House” than even he thought was humanly possible.
“It’s helping me relieve some stress,” he said, adding: “I’m ‘Terrace House’ for life.” [continue reading here]
FEEL GOOD NEWS:
How ‘3 Black Chefs’ Feed Thousands For Free In Meadowview Amid Coronavirus Shutdown [link]
— By Benjy Egel, The Sacramento Bee
“This is all Grade A food. You really get a culinary experience,” Accius said. “This is like catering on steroids.”
The program currently runs on Fresher Sacramento’s existing inventory, donations and the 3 Black Chefs’ out-of-pocket generosity. There’s no limit to the number of plates one person can request; some have picked up five to 10 for extended family members, Accius said. [continue reading here]
This Black-Owned Tutoring Company Is Offering Free Online Instruction For Students K-12 [link]
— by Tanya A. Christian, ESSENCE
For the next two months, Roland Omene, the founder and owner of the private tutoring company based in New York City, is offering free live online courses for students in K-12 affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Omene shared with ESSENCE that due to the pandemic, his business is down by 70 percent and he’s struggling to keep his lights on, but he still feels inspired to “play a role as an education company to assist families whose kid’s education has been interrupted.” [continue reading here]
This Black Wedding Photographer Is Giving Couples Virtual Photoshoots During Coronavirus [link]
The talented Kareem Virgo found a creative way to keep his photography thriving while bringing couples closer together. — by Jasmine Grant, ESSENCE
In lieu of being able to shoot his clients in person, Kareem calls them via FaceTime and directs their poses over the phone. He then snaps the photos during the call and later edits the shots on his computer. The results are incredible. [continue reading here]
Get Black-Owned Household Items Delivered Directly To Your Door [link]
— by Leah Freeman-Haskin, Travel Noire
Meet Oran Taylor, a St. Louis-based entrepreneur determined to get the black community to turn their buying power toward black-owned businesses. His company, TransTaylor Logistics, is the largest distribution company of black owned products in the Midwest, offering everyday experiences through everyday products. Primarily specializing in a wide range of cleaning agents, personal care, and hygiene products, TransTaylor provides free, same-day delivery on household and personal care items ranging from detergent to toilet paper. [continue reading here]
This Clothing Boutique Is Selling African Print Face Masks Amid Covid-19 Outbreak [link]
— by Dana Givens, Black Enterprise
Mississippi-based entrepreneur Alexis Williams is the founder of a local African and Hawaiian inspired clothing boutique called Aloha Glamour. In response to the coronavirus outbreak, Williams started selling reusable face masks with Ankara prints for use as protective measures against the spread of COVID-19. [continue reading here]
NEED HELP OR MORE INFO? HERE ARE SOME RESOURCES:
The CDC’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) homepage
The Centers for Disease And Control Prevention website is home to a wide range of information, including answers to frequently asked questions, a list of symptoms, a map of cases throughout the U.S., and guidance on keeping you and your community safe. Users can also find breakdowns of how to protect themselves, check your themselves, and what to do if they are sick, as well as how to navigate the pandemic while caring for someone and coping with daily life.
A volunteer-run portal providing simple, comprehensive information about the COVID-19 virus. On the portal, you can find hotlines, check for medical help, give to people in need, take the census, help with a job or benefits, tips for parents, and more added everyday.
Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter and for reading and sharing this week’s round up!