Wednesday, June 10, 2020

ACTION: TRUMP’S MASSIVE FAILURE TO CONTROL COVID-19 IS CRUSHING BLACK COMMUNITIES

TRUMP’S MASSIVE FAILURE TO CONTROL COVID-19 IS CRUSHING BLACK COMMUNITIES

ACTION ONE: CALL YOUR SENATORS

SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WYDEN AND MERKLEY:

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
In this pandemic, it’s clear that the Covid virus is hitting hardest in Black communities. Since there is no stopping Covid-19 without stopping it in Black communities, I ask for the following:
  • Immediately, testing must be ramped up in Black communities.
  • For those testing positive, government must help them isolate and replace their lost income.
  • Essential workers must have adequate PPE when they can’t maintain social distance such as in nursing homes, meat packing houses, grocery stores, warehouses and prisons.
  • In the long term, we need universal healthcare because the comorbidities that put Black Americans at the greatest risk for Covid-19 are diseases including hypertension, obesity, diabetes, asthma and others that may not be adequately addressed without good access to health care.

ACTION TWO: CALL YOUR HOUSE REPS

Not sure who your U.S. Representative is? Find out here. 

SAMPLE SCRIPTS FOR REPRESENTATIVES:

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
In this pandemic, it’s clear that the Covid virus is hitting hardest in Black communities. Since there is no stopping Covid-19 without stopping it in Black communities, I ask for the following:
  • Immediately, testing must be ramped up in Black communities.
  • For those testing positive, government must help them isolate and replace their lost income.
  • Workers must have adequate PPE when they can’t maintain social distance such as in nursing homes, meat packing houses, grocery stores, warehouses and prisons.
  • In the long term, we need universal healthcare because the comorbidities that put Black Americans at the greatest risk for Covid-19 are diseases including hypertension, obesity, diabetes, asthma and others that may not be adequately addressed without good access to health care.

ACTION THREE:  TURN OUT VOTERS IN 12 SWING STATES.

Sign up for a virtual letter-writing event to send letters to voters in underrepresented communities in 12 swing states.
Indivisible Oregon is hosting virtual letter writing parties on May 30 and June 6. Sign up at https://swingleft.org/group/indivisible-oregon
Or write letters to voters from home whenever it’s convenient for you. Register with Vote Forward to get started at votefwd.org
Host your own virtual letter-writing party! Get started here: http://swingleft.org/p/virtual-letter-writing-party

BACKGROUND:

The impact of America’s racism is clear in law enforcement, employment, housing and education. Now, it’s being documented in Covid-19.
Mortality of Black Covid-19 patients is triple that of whites. In some states, Black Covid patient deaths are six times (Wisconsin) to seven times (Kansas) greater than white patients.
Many Black Americans avoid wearing masks fearing they will be targeted by police. They often have less access to Covid-19 testing. Fearing job loss and often without health insurance, Black Americans delay seeking care but are three times more likely to require hospitalization because of the severity of their disease. And, when resources are limited, they are less likely to be put on ventilators.
What can be done? Covid disparities powerfully argue for universal health care.
In the near term, testing centers should be located in places where Black people live. Government should support isolation and replace lost income.
Workers need adequate personal protection equipment, especially when they cannot maintain social distance such as in meat packing houses, nursing homes, grocery stores, warehouses and prisons.
Fighting Covid-19 effectively requires structural reform. As a Harvard physician wrote in the British Medical Journal last week: “There is no stopping covid-19 without stopping racism.”

SOURCES: 

Washington Post, May 6, 2020: “Disproportionately black counties account for over half of coronavirus cases in the U.S. and nearly 60% of deaths, study finds” https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/06/study-finds-that-disproportionately-black-counties-account-more-than-half-covid-19-cases-us-nearly-60-percent-deaths/
The Guardian, May 28, 2020: “As 100,000 die, the virus lays bare America’s brutal fault lines – race, gender, poverty and broken politics” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/28/us-coronavirus-death-toll-racial-disparity-inequality
BMJ Opinion, June 5, 2020: “There is no stopping covid-19 without stopping racism” https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2020/06/05/there-is-no-stopping-covid-19-without-stopping-racism/
CDC, June 4, 2020: “COVID-19 in Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups” https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/racial-ethnic-minorities.html
JAMA Network, May 11, 2020: “Covid-19 and Racial/Ethnic Disparities” https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2766098  
Vox, June 1, 2020: “The anger behind the protests, explained in 4 charts” https://www.vox.com/2020/5/31/21276004/anger-police-killing-george-floyd-protests  
Mapping Police Violence: https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/