Racism, Pandemic and Social Justice
“Our lives begin to end
the day we become silent about things that matter.”- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Institutional racism affects people of colour in many aspects of their lives. When we speak of racism we usually refer to individual prejudice or bias. However, a far more problematic form of racism is structural or institutional racism. The term institutional racism was first used by Carmichael and Hamilton in 1967 in the book “Black Power: The Politics of Liberation” The concept was used to purposefully differentiate individual racist acts from what we can describe as policies or practices that are built into the structures of various social institutions, and which continue to operate even without the active support and maintenance of individuals. It can be argued that institutional racism has probably been with us for as long as human societies have been formally or legally divided into races. The United States of America has had and continues to have its fair share of racism. Sadly, in areas such as housing, healthcare, education, the criminal justice system, politics and employment blacks or African Americans are disproportionately at a disadvantage. The current global coronavirus pandemic now sweeping across the planet has once again highlighted the systemic form of racism in the United States of America which many of us prefer not to speak about. In various States of the USA in which African Americans are in the minority, people of colour are disproportionately impacted by #COVID19. For example, in Illinois, only 15 percent of the population is considered African American, yet 42 percent of all the deaths from COVID19 are African Americans, In Louisiana, 33 percent of the population is African American, yet 70 percent of all deaths from the coronavirus are African Americans. In Michigan, 40 percent of all who have died from the coronavirus are African Americans., yet only 14 percent of the population is classified as African American. Dr. Patrice Harris, President, American Public Health Association mentioned that misinformation among African Americans is a contributing factor for the racial inequality regarding accessing healthcare. In a recent television interview Dr. Harris remarked that she had had to engage black communities in dispelling the rumour that African Americans are immune from getting the novel coronavirus. Her colleague, Dr. Camara Jones, former president of the American Public Health Association stated in a CNN report that testing for the coronavirus for African Americans has been challenging. Dr. Jones added that the difficulty has to do with where testing are being done and the access or lack thereof to these sites by people of colour. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stated at a recent White House Press Briefing, "we have a difficult problem of exacerbation of a health disparity. We have known literally forever that diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity and asthma are disproportionately afflicting the minority populations, particularly the African American." His sentiments were echoed by President Donald Trump regarding the devastating impact of the novel coronavirus on black communities. Significantly, many of the frontline workers fighting against this pandemic are people of colour and as such are more at risk. With over 400,000 Americans infected to date by COVID19 and over 13,000 deaths, it is disturbing that a demographic breakdown, including gender with regards to this ongoing pandemic is not readily available. It is well documented that non-communicable diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and chronic respiratory diseases are prevalent among African Americans, yet we cannot remove from the equation of how policies and programmes work together to discriminate against people of colour.
Towards Social Justice
The only way to dismantle the structural inequalities which disproportionately impacts so many of our people is through social justice. However, too many people of colour have become too complacent and have refused from making themselves available to the political process. It is only through the political process that real changes will materialize. Social justice is the equal access to wealth, opportunities and privileges in a society. Social Justice as a concept arose in the early 19th century during the Industrial Revolution and subsequent civil revolutions throughout Europe, which aimed to create more egalitarian societies and remedy capitalistic exploitation of human labour. According to the United Nations (UN) social justice is an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. The UN adds, “we uphold the principles of social justice when we promote gender equality, or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants. We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.” The stark reality is that a statement from the UN will not reverse institutional racism which has been entrenched in societal norms and practices over the years. In order to overcome this type of discrimination a conscious, collective and national campaign must be embarked upon. This collective effort will require a unity of purpose from Non-Governmental Organizations, the State, church, business community and the ordinary person. People regardless of the colour of their skin must be treated with dignity and respect. We cannot speak about the virtues of sustainable development at the exclusion of a section of the population. The empowerment of all people inevitably will lead to a stronger society. The stronger we are the more we will be able to stand against this pandemic. We are all equal. We are all in this fight together.
In the words of Barack Obama, if the global economy is unresponsive to people who feel left behind, if inequality continues to grow, then we could end up seeing more and more of these divisions arise throughout advanced economies around the world.
Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues.
waykam@yahoo.com
@WayneCamo
©
#racism #pandemic #COVID19 #AfricanAmericans #socialjustice #globalization #gender
Institutional racism affects people of colour in many aspects of their lives. When we speak of racism we usually refer to individual prejudice or bias. However, a far more problematic form of racism is structural or institutional racism. The term institutional racism was first used by Carmichael and Hamilton in 1967 in the book “Black Power: The Politics of Liberation” The concept was used to purposefully differentiate individual racist acts from what we can describe as policies or practices that are built into the structures of various social institutions, and which continue to operate even without the active support and maintenance of individuals. It can be argued that institutional racism has probably been with us for as long as human societies have been formally or legally divided into races. The United States of America has had and continues to have its fair share of racism. Sadly, in areas such as housing, healthcare, education, the criminal justice system, politics and employment blacks or African Americans are disproportionately at a disadvantage. The current global coronavirus pandemic now sweeping across the planet has once again highlighted the systemic form of racism in the United States of America which many of us prefer not to speak about. In various States of the USA in which African Americans are in the minority, people of colour are disproportionately impacted by #COVID19. For example, in Illinois, only 15 percent of the population is considered African American, yet 42 percent of all the deaths from COVID19 are African Americans, In Louisiana, 33 percent of the population is African American, yet 70 percent of all deaths from the coronavirus are African Americans. In Michigan, 40 percent of all who have died from the coronavirus are African Americans., yet only 14 percent of the population is classified as African American. Dr. Patrice Harris, President, American Public Health Association mentioned that misinformation among African Americans is a contributing factor for the racial inequality regarding accessing healthcare. In a recent television interview Dr. Harris remarked that she had had to engage black communities in dispelling the rumour that African Americans are immune from getting the novel coronavirus. Her colleague, Dr. Camara Jones, former president of the American Public Health Association stated in a CNN report that testing for the coronavirus for African Americans has been challenging. Dr. Jones added that the difficulty has to do with where testing are being done and the access or lack thereof to these sites by people of colour. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stated at a recent White House Press Briefing, "we have a difficult problem of exacerbation of a health disparity. We have known literally forever that diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity and asthma are disproportionately afflicting the minority populations, particularly the African American." His sentiments were echoed by President Donald Trump regarding the devastating impact of the novel coronavirus on black communities. Significantly, many of the frontline workers fighting against this pandemic are people of colour and as such are more at risk. With over 400,000 Americans infected to date by COVID19 and over 13,000 deaths, it is disturbing that a demographic breakdown, including gender with regards to this ongoing pandemic is not readily available. It is well documented that non-communicable diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and chronic respiratory diseases are prevalent among African Americans, yet we cannot remove from the equation of how policies and programmes work together to discriminate against people of colour.
Towards Social Justice
The only way to dismantle the structural inequalities which disproportionately impacts so many of our people is through social justice. However, too many people of colour have become too complacent and have refused from making themselves available to the political process. It is only through the political process that real changes will materialize. Social justice is the equal access to wealth, opportunities and privileges in a society. Social Justice as a concept arose in the early 19th century during the Industrial Revolution and subsequent civil revolutions throughout Europe, which aimed to create more egalitarian societies and remedy capitalistic exploitation of human labour. According to the United Nations (UN) social justice is an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. The UN adds, “we uphold the principles of social justice when we promote gender equality, or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants. We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.” The stark reality is that a statement from the UN will not reverse institutional racism which has been entrenched in societal norms and practices over the years. In order to overcome this type of discrimination a conscious, collective and national campaign must be embarked upon. This collective effort will require a unity of purpose from Non-Governmental Organizations, the State, church, business community and the ordinary person. People regardless of the colour of their skin must be treated with dignity and respect. We cannot speak about the virtues of sustainable development at the exclusion of a section of the population. The empowerment of all people inevitably will lead to a stronger society. The stronger we are the more we will be able to stand against this pandemic. We are all equal. We are all in this fight together.
In the words of Barack Obama, if the global economy is unresponsive to people who feel left behind, if inequality continues to grow, then we could end up seeing more and more of these divisions arise throughout advanced economies around the world.
Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues.
waykam@yahoo.com
@WayneCamo
©
#racism #pandemic #COVID19 #AfricanAmericans #socialjustice #globalization #gender
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