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https://www.derrickyoungjr.com/covid19

As Coronavirus spreads across the United States, Black Americans—who are not to blame—are hit the hardest. Black Americans continue to experience multigenerational systematic obstacles to access essential resources, quality health care, good jobs and safe living environments, which makes them much more vulnerable to COVID-19.

Derrick Young COVID-19

The information below is divided in the following format:

1) SUBJECT CATEGORY — Large Capital Numbered Font (ex. 01 — HEALTH)

2) HISTORICAL & OPPRESSIVE SYSTEMSBold Font (ex. Zoning)

3) Modern Inequities are solid-bulleted and italicized (ex. Limited Access to Essential Resources)

4) COVID-19 IMPACT IS UNDERLINED.

01 — HEALTH

Unethical Medical Experimentation

  • Medical Distrust: Black Americans report higher levels of medical distrust than White Americans and are less likely to visit a primary care doctor [Source 1][Source 2][Source 3].

    • COVID-19 IMPACT:

      Disproportionate # of COVID19 cases/deaths

      Lack of trust in hospitals, doctors, prevention guidance, contact tracing, vaccine, and treatment due to generational experiences and trauma.

Hospital Segregation/Provider Bias/ Discrimination/Racism/Limited Access to Insurance

  • Increased Risk for Preventable Diseases: 72% more likely to have diabetes; 20% more likely to be obese; 20% more likely to have asthma; and 8X more likely to be diagnosed with HIV [Source 1][Source 2].

    • COVID-19 IMPACT:

      Disproportionate # of COVID19 cases/deaths

      People of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions are at higher risk for severe illness and death from COVID-19.

Zoning/Neighborhood Segregation

  • Limited Access to Essential Resources: Full-service grocery stores; Adequately resourced healthcare providers; Clean Air, Water, and Green Space [Source].

    • COVID-19 IMPACT:

      Disproportionate # of COVID19 cases/deaths

      -More likely to travel farther and more often for groceries and other essential needs.

      -More likely to not have testing near home or safe transportation to testing.

      -Higher risk for severe symptoms due to underlying conditions.

02 — ECONOMIC STABILITY

Red Lining/Housing Discrimination

  • Homeownership Gap: White Rate = 73.7%/Black Rate = 44% [Source]

    • COVID-19 IMPACT:

      Disproportionate # of COVID19 cases/deaths

      -Lack of multi-room homes suitable for self-isolating, which puts other family members at risk.

Employment Discrimination

  • Wealth Gap: Median White Family Wealth = $171,000/Median Black Family Wealth = $17,600 [Source][Source 2][Source 3][Source 4]

    • COVID-19 IMPACT:

      Disproportionate # of cases, Unemployment and Homelessness

      -Due to limited access to high-wage jobs, many essential workers (grocery, food-service, custodial) are Black and cannot stay at home.

      -Black workers are the last hired and first fired.

      -Black families do not have safety nets to sustain them during quarantine and shutdown orders.

03 — EDUCATION

School Segregation

  • Quality Education Access: Districts serving mostly students of color receive roughly $2,000  less per student than districts with the fewest students of color [Source 1][Source 2].

    • COVID-19 IMPACT:

      Widened Racial Achievement Gaps

      Teachers/Students/Parents do not have access to or familiarity with tech (WiFi, laptops) needed for online learning.

School-to-Prison/Pipeline

  • Over Policing: “Zero-tolerance” policies criminalize minor infractions of school rules. Police in schools lead to students being criminalized for behavior that should be handled inside the school [Source 1][Source 2].

    • COVID-19 IMPACT:

      Disproportionate # of COVID19 cases/deaths

      Black Americans are incarcerated more than 5X  the rate of White Americans, which increases risk for COVID-19 due to restricted movement, confined spaces, and limited medical care in prisons.

Anti-Literacy Laws

  • Literacy Gaps: Due to restricted and limited access to information and resources, 46% of White students compared to 17% of Black students scored at or above proficient on the National Assessment of Educational Progress 12th Grade Reading Level Assessment [Source].

    • COVID-19 IMPACT:

      Disproportionate # of COVID19 cases/deaths

      -Continuous spread of misinformation due to delays and gaps in information sharing.

      -Difficulty reading,  understanding, and accessing dense prevention guidance and rapidly evolving government policies.

As we watch the progression of COVID-19, clearly it is time for us to acknowledge that we must cancel our next set of Second Tuesday Race Forum meetings.  Since we don’t meet during the summer months, we hope to resume on September 8, 2020.

In a few weeks the planning team (Dena, Angela, John, Jason, Eddie and Harold) intend to send you a set of resources that you can explore during this break.  And we hope to offer you some online challenges that can build on the racial justice skill set that is at the core of our mission.   Hopefully this period of uncertainty provides you some opportunities for rest and reflection – even in the midst of the economic pressures we will all face.

I want to share with you a thoughtful piece I read several years ago from The On Being Project.  It is a "The Disease of Being Busy."  I hope it will stimulate some meaningful reflections for you as it did for me.

There’s no way of knowing how our society will look post-COVID.  Many years ago Marshall McLuhan frequently advised us that a breakdown inevitably leads to breakthrough.  We usually resist significant change until the old systems utterly break down, hoping that minor adjustments will turn the tide.  When we can no longer think in straight lines it opens up different ways of grasping reality.

At Second Tuesday we have encouraged each other to imagine the kind of world we want to live in.  The coming months may help us shape that vision.

I’m happy to stay in touch with you until we get together again.  You can reach me directly at fuzzyfield@aol.com.  Please stay safe and healthy.

On behalf of the Planning Team,

Harold Fields

 

Our guest presenter will be unable to join us Tuesday due to complications from her chemo therapy treatments.  We will switch to an informative and challenging subject that is quite timely.

We want to recognize the concern that many people have about the spread of coronavirus.  Colorado currently has only a few documented cases.  If you are uncomfortable in public gatherings, we understand and respect your judgement.  If you are not feeling well by Tuesday, we do ask that you stay home if you are sick.  Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you for a memorable evening with the new topic.

 

The Historical Narrative of White Supremacy

In his book 1984, George Orwell said “Who controls the past controls the future.  Who controls the present controls the past.”  This is the theme of a talk that Jeffrey Robinson gave to the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers about The History of Race in America.  We will view portions of this video and discuss how the concept of white supremacy has consistently been turned upside down in this country.

People's Choice

We asked you how white supremacist ideology affects you in your life. We will share (anonymously) some of your responses and invite you to engage in a deep discussion on the topic. We also invited you to share with us some of the topics you’d like to learn more about. Our discussion will focus on self-awareness and creating change, using story-telling as our medium. We invite you to come to this session ready to listen and to share!

Please join us!
Accessing the Forum
Please remember to come into the church from the large parking lot on the north side of the church that is accessible off of Glencoe St, that is just east of the church. The door to the church you should use is the one that opens onto that parking lot. If you have passengers with mobility difficulties, you can pull up to that entrance and then park in the lot or on the street. We will be meeting downstairs in the cafeteria. Go down the stairs on the right inside the door, or go acorss the vestibule and take the elevator in the short hallway to the lower level.

Even though PHUMC is not now holding a family in sanctuary, security continues to be enhanced as we continue to be welcomed to use the building for our meetings.  We can only enter the building from the parking lot where someone will be there to open the door for us.  You may not be able to gain access if you are more than 45 minutes late.

The Second Tuesday Race Forum meets on the second Tuesday of each month from September to June at the Park Hill United Methodist Church at Montview Blvd and Glencoe St. in Denver. Here is a link to a map on Google: https://goo.gl/maps/oekAR4UReYn
If you are not on our mailing list and would like to be, please go to this link and follow the directions to register to our list:
http://eepurl.com/dcnLN5
You can find more information about the Second Tuesday Race Forum at our website:
secondtuesdayraceforum.org

 

We start the new year off considering how these concepts reinforce and complement each other to benefit some at the expense of others. Without blame or shame, we will unpack each of these notions within the context of internalized entitlement, and share experiences of how these have shown up in each of our lives.

In preparation for the discussion we are attaching two brief papers that explore these concepts:

  1. White Privilege and Male Privilege, Peggy McIntosh
  2. Understanding Oppression and Privilege, Dena R. Samuels
Please join us!
Accessing the Forum
Please remember to come into the church from the large parking lot on the north side of the church that is accessible off of Glencoe St, that is just east of the church. The door to the church you should use is the one that opens onto that parking lot. If you have passengers with mobility difficulties, you can pull up to that entrance and then park in the lot or on the street. We will be meeting downstairs in the cafeteria. Go down the stairs on the right inside the door, or go acorss the vestibule and take the elevator in the short hallway to the lower level.Even though PHUMC is not now holding a family in sanctuary, security continues to be enhanced as we continue to be welcomed to use the building for our meetings.  We can only enter the building from the parking lot where someone will be there to open the door for us.  You may not be able to gain access if you are more than 45 minutes late.The Second Tuesday Race Forum meets on the second Tuesday of each month from September to June at the Park Hill United Methodist Church at Montview Blvd and Glencoe St. in Denver. Here is a link to a map on Google: https://goo.gl/maps/oekAR4UReYn
If you are not on our mailing list and would like to be, please go to this link and follow the directions to register to our list:
http://eepurl.com/dcnLN5