Demand global vaccine justice.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. would share 75% of its unused COVID-19 vaccine supply, releasing 80 million doses to other countries by the end of the month. “These are doses that are being given, donated free and clear to these countries, for the sole purpose of improving the public health situation and helping end the pandemic,” said U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, though he clarified that the U.S. government “will retain the say” on where exactly they go (MSN). As the State Department’s Twitter account declared, “No country is safe until all countries are safe” (Twitter).

Happy Monday and welcome back! The inequities of vaccine access, both domestically and abroad, deserve more scrutiny. Today, Andrew shares more about the role the U.S. plays in global vaccine distribution and how we can support.

Thank you for keeping this independent platform going. In honor of our anniversary, become a monthly subscriber on our website or Patreon this week and we'll send you some swag! You can also give one-time on Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), PayPal or our website.

– Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Read about U.S. vaccine hoarding and its fatal results.
Support the Progressive International (Instagram) and the Summit for Vaccine Internationalism.
Donate to CODEPINK and Global Health Partners’ campaign to provide syringes for people in Cuba.

GET EDUCATED

By Andrew Lee (he/him)

The United States will immediately give 25 million doses to the United Nations’ COVAX vaccine sharing program (AP). It seems like an incredible number, but only until you do the math. Africa, which saw a 20% increase in cases over the last two weeks, will receive 5 million vaccines, enough for less than 4% of the continent’s residents (AP). 6 million doses will go to Latin America, fewer doses than people in El Salvador, the region’s 17th most populous country. 7 million will go to South and Southeast Asia, a quantity less than 3% of the population of Indonesia alone.

This development comes after months of vaccine hoarding by the United States and other rich nations. In February, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres announced that, while 75% of all vaccines had been administered by just 10 countries, 130 nations had not received a single vaccine at all (MSN). In the words of Georgetown Law’s Lawrence Gostin, “Rich countries have signed pre-purchase agreements with vaccine manufacturers. So [they] have bought up most of the world’s vaccine supplies.”

The United States government bought 1.2 billion vaccine doses, despite having a population of only 330 million (Salon). If everyone in the U.S. received two doses, a half billion shots would be left over, property of the U.S. government. In fact, the U.S. bought purchase options on enough vaccines to vaccinate the entire U.S. population five times (NBC).

American vaccine “charity” comes too late for thousands of people who died because the United States blocked their countries from importing vaccines.

Aside from appearing benevolent with its “gift” of hoarded vaccines, the U.S. government also gets to use vaccine donations as a political weapon, rewarding “friends like the Republic of Korea, where our military shares a command” (White House) while maintaining an embargo that prevents Cuba from importing syringes necessary for full vaccination (Code Pink).

That fact that the U.S. government prevented life-saving vaccines from reaching desperate people for weeks on end is not the only reason for its complicity. Despite racist paranoias about immigrants and Asian people as disease vectors, American business travelers and tourists have played a crucial role in spreading coronavirus around the world.

Last March, 44 University of Texas students tested positive for COVID after returning from Cabo San Lucas (KXAN). Four months later, Today published a list of countries still open to American tourism “for those trying to capitalize on less expensive plane tickets” (Today). In November, an American teen in the Cayman Islands escaped from mandatory quarantine to attend her boyfriend’s jet ski event maskless (People). One of the hardest-hit areas in Mexico is Cancún, which has actually seen more tourists this year than last (USA Today). One Pittsburgh police officer whined “we’re being held hostage down here” after he and his wife were forced to stay in their luxury resort room after testing positive for COVID during a mid-pandemic trip to Cancún last month (WPXI). Mexico ranks fourth in total deaths from COVID (CNN).

Many countries and regions are reluctant to impose stricter entry controls since their economies are almost entirely dependent on tourism, “mainly as a result of their history under Western imperialism” (Skift). American tourists felt entitled to go on vacations that turned their destinations as petri dishes. Their government hoarded vaccines to save for them upon their return home. Thousands of people, mostly working-class people of color in poor nations, have lost their lives as a result. The Biden administration’s “charity” is too little, too late.

Fortunately, community organizations around the world are coming together to demand more. The Progressive International is organizing a global Summit for Vaccine Internationalism (Progressive International) while groups like CODEPINK are providing medical supplies internationally (CODEPINK). When the American government positions itself as a compassionate donor of its hoarded goods, we should remember Dr. King’s words: “True compassion is more than flinging a coin at a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring” (American Rhetoric).

Key Takeaways

The Biden administration's vaccine sharing announcement comes after the U.S. blocked poor countries from vaccine access for months, costing untold numbers of lives.
The U.S. government bought over half a billion more vaccine doses than would be necessary to vaccinate the entire population.
American citizens played an outsized role in spreading COVID to countries dependent on U.S. tourism.

9/16/2020 | Fight for paid sick leave.

8/23/2020 | Support those incarcerated and impacted by COVID-19.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.

Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza

Nicole Cardoza 5/14/21 Nicole Cardoza 5/14/21

Support workers’ rights for educators.

Hate crime charges serve as a sentencing enhancement when someone acts with bias while committing a crime. This bias must be against members of a protected class – such as a specific race, religion, or sexual orientation – and it must be a motivating factor for the crime (Time). It seems reasonable that a crime is more odious if it occurs solely because the victim is a member of an oppressed community.

It's Friday! Welcome back to the newsletter. Yesterday, the CDC announced that fully vaccinated people can be indoors and outdoors in most places without a mask (NBC News). This news has prompted many industries to call for a full re-opening of businesses, including public school classrooms across the U.S. (Politico). Today, Andrew shares the perspective of educators – particularly those of color – and how we can support their wellbeing through this transition.

Thank you to everyone that gives a little when they can to keep this newsletter going! If you can, consider giving $7/month on Patreon. Or you can give one-time on our website or PayPal. You can also support us by joining our curated digital community. This newsletter will continue to be a free resource because of this collective support.

Nicole

ps – apologies for the incorrect takeaways yesterday! I'm still trying to get the hang of this new platform. They're correct on the web version of our archives.

TAKE ACTION

Support a progressive teachers’ union in your community, like the Philadelphia Caucus of Working Educators, for example.
Advocate for school reopenings alongside the wishes and interests of educators and students.
Educate yourself about the toll COVID-19 placed on teachers – and how retaining Black teachers will help Black students succeed.

GET EDUCATED

By Andrew Lee (he/him)

We’re a long way from the early days of the pandemic when the nurses, grocery store clerks, and pharmacists who kept society running were praised as heroes (Newsweek). Instead of celebrating essential workers, some now focus on punishing those workers “too lazy” to return to what are often menial, low-paying jobs (Jacobin).

Teachers fall into both categories. They’re celebrated and considered essential while at the same time scorned if they don’t want to return to dangerous work conditions. Educators can provide the next generation with the skills and knowledge they’ll need for the rest of their lives. Nearly all of us were raised in part by teachers. Those who have or plan to have children will see them spend a majority of their waking lives under the supervision of teachers. Almost everyone would agree that teachers are crucially important.

That sentiment is a far cry from actually supporting educators. In March, Los Angeles’ largest teachers union decried plans to reopen schools as “a recipe for propagating structural racism” (Politico). According to the United Teachers of Los Angeles, it was largely wealthy white parents who pushed for school reopenings. This put both education workers and working-class students of color at risk, given that poorer neighborhoods have much higher rates of COVID and school staff were not yet fully vaccinated.

Right before Philadelphia schools reopened, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers’ Caucus of Working Educators shared photos of classrooms with mouse droppings and mold. This was despite previous assurances by the school district that schools were clean and ready for students (Chalkbeat). “We feel lied to and betrayed seeing the condition of our school,” said one educator. The rush to reopen clearly put both teachers and students at risk in a school district where most students are students of color (National Center for Education Statistics).

In May 2020, 7 out of 10 teachers reported their lower morale due to the pandemic, though at that point stay-at-home orders in most states were less than two months old (EdSurge). Now, teachers are even closer to the breaking point (NPR). One said the past year was harder than teaching in New York City after 9/11. Another, a Black teacher in Virginia, said that the combination of COVID and ongoing police murders have left her at “points of lowness [she] hadn’t experienced before.”

At the beginning of this school year, a quarter of teachers said they intended to leave before its end (Rand Corporation). And even before the pandemic, Black teachers in poor work environments were dramatically more likely to leave than their white coworkers (Chalkbeat).

Teachers are under pressure from parents and administrators alike. They were already dealing with poor salaries and working conditions, resulting in teachers–especially teachers of color–being squeezed out of the profession. This is an outrage for racial justice and a shameful way to treat educators, who are lauded in the abstract but ignored in real life.

Right-wing propaganda has long claimed that teachers' unions are bad for students and society writ large. And it’s true that there are bad teachers in teachers’ unions. There are bad bus drivers in bus driver unions and bad nurses unions and bad flight attendants in flight attendant unions because that’s how people are. Of course, we should vigorously oppose racist, queerphobic, and patriarchal behavior by those in positions of power in schools, just as we should struggle against their existence in any institution.

But at a time where teachers are pushed out of the field and schools are reopening in dangerous ways, groups of educators in progressive teachers unions are leading the fight for the wellbeing of their colleagues and students. Organized, progressive teachers are demanding safe, well-resourced classrooms and living wages for those who teach them. Supporting these struggles is how we ensure working-class students of color can succeed academically and educators of color can succeed professionally.

We need to support teachers’ rights.

Key Takeaways

The pandemic squeezed teachers to the breaking point.
25% of educators plan to leave their profession, and Black educators are leaving at higher rates than white ones.
Progressive teachers unions have led the fight to ensure school re-openings don’t put students at risk.

3/17/2021 | End standardized testing.

2/23/2021 | Rally against anti-trans legislation.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 4/14/21 Nicole Cardoza 4/14/21

Decommodify housing.

Just because we’re all affected by the pandemic doesn’t mean that we’ve all been affected equally. Women accounted for all 140,000 jobs cut last December. Black and Latina women in particular lost jobs, since employment for white women actually rose that month (CNN). The data is clear: Black and Latina women were the worst-impacted by layoffs, white men the least (Bloomberg).

Happy Thursday and welcome back! Although the economy is improving as more people become vaccinated, more than 8 million American households are still behind on their rent (NPR). Housing is a human right, but access isn't distributed evenly. Today, Andrew outlines more about the housing crisis and efforts to keep people housed.

Are you under the age of 18? We want to hear from you. Take a moment to complete our anonymous survey on climate change.

This newsletter is a free resource and that's made possible by our paying subscribers. Consider giving $7/month on our website or Patreon. Or you can give one-time on our website or PayPal. You can also support us by joining our curated digital community. Thank you to all those that support!

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Learn about racism in housing and how housing impacts the racial wealth gap.
Follow and support your local tenants union or community land trust.
Read about how tenant organizing is keeping renters in their homes.
Look into a community effort that stopped the eviction of a Black and indigenous family in Portland, OR.
Those fortunate enough to own property can donate it to a local land trust to ensure it remains affordable housing in perpetuity.

GET EDUCATED

By Andrew Lee (he/him)

This inequality comes as the COVID recession takes a serious toll on renters and homeowners alike. In January, almost one in five tenants was behind on rent, with an average outstanding debt of $5,600 (CNBC). In 2020, 2 million households fell at least three months behind on their mortgage payments (Consumer Finance Protection Bureau). The nation’s renters are estimated to owe some $5 billion more than all the rental assistance in the American Rescue Plan and December stimulus combined (CNN).

This is important because housing inequality has long been a key way that American racial inequality reproduces itself. Before the 1968 Housing Rights Act, some white neighborhoods used racial covenants to legally exclude tenants or homeowners of color (Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project). The historic refusal of banks to extend credit to “redlined” minority neighborhoods is estimated to have cost Black families $212,000 in wealth (CBS).

These inequalities aren’t a thing of the past. The average white family in America has ten times the wealth of the average Black family. It’s a gap that’s larger today than it was at the beginning of the twentieth century (Brookings). The single largest contributing factor to household wealth? The value of housing (US Census).

Even before COVID, Black homeownership was declining in cities across the country (Urban Institute) and predominantly Black, brown, and immigrant communities were being gentrified out of competitive housing markets (Teen Vogue). Now, these communities with less wealth and housing equity face higher risks from recession lay-offs. As current eviction moratoriums expire, the expected wave of foreclosures and evictions could exacerbate existing racial and gender inequalities to a catastrophic degree.

There’s a chicken-and-the-egg problem here: if all housing is sold or rented to the higher buyer, those with less wealth could always have their home taken away. At the same time, this housing insecurity itself inhibits the creation of familial wealth, since homeownership (or housing stability) is one of the biggest ways families build wealth for the future.

Fortunately, community organizations across the country are working out a solution: decommodifying housing. To stop thinking of housing as a commodity means to stop thinking of houses or apartments primarily as things to be bought and sold and instead as, above all, homes.

One way to ensure homes are used for housing people ahead of generating profit is by supporting tenants unions. Renters facing unjust evictions or unacceptable living conditions can band together to push landlords to do the right thing. When disrepair at the Villas del Paseo apartment complex in Houston led to black mold, cockroaches, and weeks without running water, tenants organized and withheld rent payments to force their property management company to fix the problems (Texas Observer). Organizing collectively builds the power of those most likely to be exploited by landlords: low-income people of color (Tenants Together).

Another approach is decommodifying housing is by removing the land for housing from the private market altogether through community land trusts, or CLTs. Community land trusts are nonprofits that collectively own the land underneath residents’ homes. These residents can buy, sell, and build equity in their properties, but the CLT retains the title to the land (Center for Community Land Trust Innovation).

Because the land underneath dwellings remains in the land trust even as buildings are bought or sold, housing prices are insulated from real estate speculation, even in expensive housing markets. And all of the residents who live on CLT land are represented in the nonprofit’s board of directors, ensuring the land is stewarded democratically. In this way, CLTs ensure that community-controlled affordable housing can remain affordable in perpetuity (Oakland Community Land Trust).

Community land trusts now exist across the country (Schumacher Center). But they were first started in Georgia by members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committees to ensure Black tenant farmers wouldn’t be displaced from their land for participation in the civil rights movement (NPR). This history should remind us of the deep connection between racial and housing justice movements, a connection necessitated by long-standing racial inequities in access to secure housing.

As COVID has deepened many of these same inequalities, it’s time to take action to decommodify housing.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 3/12/21 Nicole Cardoza 3/12/21

Close the life expectancy gap.

Happy Friday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. A year ago yesterday, the World Health Organization declared coronavirus as a global pandemic (NPR). Since then, so much of our lives have forever changed. Its impact in the U.S. didn't just exacerbate the existing disparities in our country, but create new and distinct issues that directly affected our wellbeing. And it's evident in the latest data on life expectancy. Hannah shares more in today's newsletter.

And just a quick personal note – grief is not linear. Give yourself grace with any feelings or sensations that might be arriving with the one-year marker of an event that turned our lives around. There's no right way to heal from this, only the way that is right for you. I'm sending you all the love for what's been lost this year, and all that there is to discover in the days ahead.

This newsletter is a free resource made possible by our paying subscribers. Consider giving $7/month on Patreon. Or you can give one-time on our website, PayPal, or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). You can also support us by joining our curated digital community. Thank you to all those that have contributed!

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Explore the Kaiser Family Foundation to advocate for health reform; push for medicaid expansion and learn about the causes of the life expectancy gap and what is needed to reverse it in your state through the Health Resources & Services Administration and the Office of Minority Health at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Use resources from the Equal Justice Initiative website to dissect America’s racist roots and learn how to be engaged in the current fight for equal rights.
Support the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond with a charitable contribution, and attend one of their community workshops—whether in person or virtually. The Institute seeks to organize diverse networks of people in order to understand and undo racism on a personal and global level.
Watch The Essentials documentary that addresses health equity and immigrant health at the Center for Health Progress website.

GET EDUCATED

By Hannah Edmondson (she/her)

In the United States, great expectations within the healthcare sector are not endowed to everyone. Black and Brown populations have continued to fall behind the average life expectancy of white populations—a chasm that has widened considerably in the wake of COVID-19. Though recent years saw a shrink in the gap between Black and white lifespans in the U.S., the pandemic brought the difference to its widest breadth since 1998 (Intelligencer). In 2020, the average life expectancy for white Americans decreased by 0.8 years, but Latino and Black populations dipped more notably, losing 1.9 years and 2.7 years, respectively (NPR). This shocking statistic does not boil down to genetics or biological fitness, but rather economics.

The pandemic has killed one in every 645 Black Americans, but as of March 1, only seven percent of COVID-19 vaccine recipients have been Black (Now This News). This goes to show that access to medical care is not dictated by actual need; instead, it is a matter of privilege, leaving Black and Brown Americans to scramble for resources that should be readily available. There are several factors behind the burgeoning lifespan disparity throughout the pandemic, but they each share a common denominator: racism. Insufficient access to healthcare in the United States is bemoaned by working-class citizens across the board, but the brunt of its effects are absorbed by Black and Brown families.

Sickle cell disease sheds a light on the deeply entrenched prejudice that plagues the U.S. healthcare system. The disease predominantly affects Black individuals; on average, one in thirteen Black children are born with the sickle cell trait (CDC). The disease is inherited and requires intensive, regular care in order to be treated properly. In this way, it is similar to cystic fibrosis, a disease which occurs most commonly among white Americans. However, cystic fibrosis receives significantly more funding and national attention, with new treatments being approved regularly over the past decade. The issue at hand is proven to be a matter of access rather than intel as a majority of sickle cell patients are forced to go without even the earliest sickle cell treatments (KHN).

According to a study conducted in 2009, the average life expectancy of Black men and women was seventy-five years of age, mirroring the average life expectancy of white populations in 1979 (Business Insider). The fact that Black American lives are set back nearly thirty years when compared to the well-being of white counterparts is telling. The gap in life expectancy cannot be chalked up to violence or mere coincidence, though, as this lag in Black survival is largely a product of the U.S. healthcare system. The evidence shows a marked swell in the gap between Black and white life expectancy during the 1980s, demonstrating the dramatic impact of the AIDS crisis on communities of color. The latest national health crisis—the COVID-19 pandemic—has similarly ravaged BIPOC while leaving white populations with significantly fewer fatalities.

While the difference in life expectancy between ethnic groups has gradually grown less severe, the underlying cause remains. Black and Brown communities are too often barred from receiving quality care on account of financial setbacks and discriminatory legislation. Residential segregation leaves Black and Hispanic neighborhoods without conveniently-located hospitals and healthcare facilities (TCF). Most U.S. cities and suburbs reflect the racist tactics of city planners throughout the twentieth century. Nonetheless, these geographic barriers stand strong to this day, effectively keeping white communities comfortably within their privilege.

The economic inequality that has plagued BIPOC since America’s origination ultimately leads to health inequality, perpetuating the lower life expectancy among non-white persons (Intelligencer). Adequate healthcare requires ample funding, and Medicaid patients are rarely prioritized over wealthy clients able to fully cover their medical expenses. The United States continually shirks the possibility of socialized healthcare in favor of maintaining privatized, for-profit institutions, making it exceedingly difficult for low-income patients to receive proper care. On average, Black families devote twenty percent of their annual household income to medical expenses; that portion is only half as much for most white families (TCF). Systemic racism in the U.S. works to ensure that the nation’s lowest-income communities are disproportionately Black and Brown. Until this economic inequality is dissolved, non-white citizens seeking decent healthcare will be consigned to the bottom of the waitlist.

The economic challenges facing BIPOC undoubtedly heighten the risk of health issues, as proper nutrition and safe housing are simply not affordable. The dog-eat-dog ideology that has come to undergird the American Dream serves only those who are currently in power—namely, affluent white people. Furthermore, unemployment insurance rates are significantly lower in Southern states with high concentrations of Black inhabitants. This practice of state-controlled unemployment benefits dates back to the New Deal; Southern politicians rallied to keep Black workers within their home states oppressed, crafting their unemployment rates to withhold vital government funds from non-white laborers (RAND). This long-standing power imbalance leaves people of color with little upward mobility. Proper healthcare, then, is a luxury reserved for those at the top. This discrepancy is why Black women are three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than white women (TCF). Non-white lives are treated with less reverence because the racist foundation of the United States insists upon the preservation of one population at the expense of all others.

Statistics continue to prove that this antiquated, bigoted ideology is not yet weeded out of the healthcare system; moreover, it steals Black and Brown lives in staggering numbers. In spite of the grim reality, the Affordable Care Act has made a noteworthy stride towards equality. The ACA extended coverage to over twenty million Americans, 2.8 million of whom are Black (AJPH). While this shows a step toward improved medical access regardless of race or class, it is only one minor victory amid a war that will likely drag on for decades to come. Major changes are required in order for society to represent and protect all of its members equally. Privilege should not determine one’s right to survival, but in America it certainly seems to be the case.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

COVID-19 has brought attention to the inequality of U.S. healthcare–a system which has never adequately served minority populations.
The life expectancy gap between BIPOC and white Americans is a result of the social and economic policies that have oppressed non-white citizens for centuries. This gap, contrary to popular belief, cannot be shrunk by the determination of working class individuals alone.
In order to wage a social contract that protects people of every race and economic standing, the existing institutions that govern American society should be deconstructed and purged of their racist tactics.
A healthcare system that benefits all people equally will not be implemented without major political action.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 3/2/21 Nicole Cardoza 3/2/21

Advocate for clean water.

Water is a necessary natural resource needed to live a sustainable life. Humans are made up of about sixty percent of water and, in addition to it being essential for the body, it is the most important substance for cleaning, bathing, washing, and many other things. When it comes to cities that are mostly comprised of Black and Brown citizens, proper maintenance and availability to the basic necessities—such as water, in this case—are sometimes overlooked or deemed as unimportant or not as urgent as those living in predominantly white neighborhoods. Blatant disregard for these Black and Brown populations shows up more often than not but mostly during some sort of environmental crisis or natural disaster.

Happy Wednesday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily! Today we're focusing our attention on the water crisis in Jackson, MS, which hasn't received adequate coverage for the scope of the issue. But water crises throughout the U.S. are certainly not new. But the lack of infrastructure to support clean water is often concentrated in Black and brown communities, and, when combined with a global pandemic, only exacerbates the health and safety issues it causes. Kashea breaks down what's happening in Jackson and offers action items we can replicate in any community in crisis.

This newsletter is a free resource and that's made possible by our paying subscribers. Consider giving $7/month on Patreon. Or you can give one-time on our website, PayPal, or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). You can also support us by joining our curated digital community. Thank you to all those that support!

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Donate to organizations supporting those without water, including Shower Power and the Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity MS (Venmo @IAJEofMS). ,
Stay up-to-date with current news and live city council meetings concerning the water outages on the City of Jackson, Mississippi Facebook page.
Help local Jackson residents push for long-term local and federal support by reporting the damages they have undergone. A cumulative threshold of $4.5 million in reported damages must be reached for the city to declare a federal emergency (Mississippi Today).
Consider: are their neighborhoods in your town with critical infrastructure needs? How can you advocate for them in your local government, and in support of organizers advocating for change?

GET EDUCATED

By Andrew Lee (he/him)

In 2014, Flint, Michigan was hit with a water crisis that left more than a hundred thousand people with unclean, lead-infused water. The problem wasn’t fixed until five years later in 2019. And today, people of color who reside in the South are being affected by a water crisis that has left tens of thousands of Black and Brown people without clean water for weeks due to the winter storm that swept across nearly every state in mid-February. Among those hit the hardest were Texas and Jackson, Mississippi. Residents from both states still are feeling the effects while Jackson residents are left to fend for themselves as most of them still are left without water. What these disasters have in common is that government officials do not act with a sense of urgency when it comes to these groups of people.

It’s been nearly three weeks since the residents of Jackson, Mississippi have had access to clean, running water. The city of Jackson issued a boil water notice on February 18 in response to the water main breaks on the City of Jackson’s Well Water System which caused an inability to maintain system pressure resulting in some areas experiencing low to no water pressure (The City of Jackson, Mississippi). Residents still are having to scrounge for this essential natural resource. In addition to having to boil it, they are now being asked to limit their use of it. According to one of the city’s representatives, it is unclear how many people are without water as the system which services approximately forty-three thousand people is old (CBS News).

“The challenges of aging infrastructure are not new to Jackson, but this is different. This was an act of God that sent old systems into havoc resulting in severe water outages and trauma for our residents,” says Mayor Chokwe Lumumba. “Our systems were never meant to endure days of ice storms and sub-zero temperatures coupled by road conditions that prevented the delivery of critical supplies” (The Daily Beast).

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves agrees and says that fifty years of deferred maintenance is not something that can be fixed within hours. Mayor Lumumba is asking for people to have patience as it is clear that there is no definitive timeline as to when the water will be restored in the tanks (The Daily Beast). There are several sites in place for distribution of non-potable or flushing water, and Reeves activated the National Guard to help with water distribution efforts in the area. But many locals, including professional chef Enrika Williams and her family, are having to spend excessive amounts of money on bottled water to cook and clean with. Jackson’s total population is approximately 160,000 people with a 26.9 percent poverty rate. That means that most of the people don’t have the resources to go out and buy additional water for their homes.

“Part of the problem is that it’s everywhere. Usually when we have an outage it’s in one neighborhood . . . ,” says Laurie Bertram Roberts, manager of the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund. “But when it’s the whole damn city, where are the Black people supposed to go? It’s not like this is everywhere; it’s where the mostly Black population in Jackson lives. (The Daily Beast).

Not only has routine maintenance for these tanks and water lines been neglected, but it seems that communication between Governor Reeves and Mayor Lumumba about the issue also has fallen by the wayside as Lumumba is being accused of reaching out to Reeves too slowly, and Reeves’ camp retorting saying that he had no missed calls from the Mayor.

As of Monday, Jackson Public Works Director Charles Williams says that the city’s water system is still in the process of stabilizing itself. It is unclear how many people are still without water but Williams stresses that crews are working as hard as they can to get water flowing to those areas as there still is no definitive timeline on when services will be fully restored (Clarion Ledger).

For fifty years, maintenance for Jackson’s water system has been put off. Even after the city approved a one percent tax increase six years ago, the goal of updating all of its aging infrastructures has yet to be retained. Lumumba says that the annual fifteen million dollars the city generates are only a fraction of the two billion dollars the city will need to fix the problem. This is an issue that city officials have neglected to put at the top of their to-do lists and as a result, people are suffering—specifically, the Black population. More than a few residents have noted that the crisis has hit South and West Jackson while Northeast Jackson, the one predominantly white corner of this eighty percent Black capital city, is left relatively unscathed (The Daily Beast).

KEY TAKEAWAYS

When it comes to cities that are mostly comprised of Black and Brown citizens, proper maintenance and availability to the basic necessities are sometimes overlooked or deemed as unimportant compared to those living in predominantly white neighborhoods.
It’s been nearly three weeks since the residents of Jackson, Mississippi has had access to clean, running water.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves says that fifty years of deferred maintenance is not something that can be fixed within hours.
There still is no definitive timeline on when services will be fully restored.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 2/11/21 Nicole Cardoza 2/11/21

Support an equitable vaccine rollout.

Happy Thursday, and welcome back. We started covering COVID-19 in the newsletter each week back in June. Many of our articles have the same theme: this pandemic is disproportionately affecting communities of color, and there are inadequate resources to support their wellbeing. Unfortunately, the same narrative is unfolding with access to the vaccine. Take action today to support those in your community.

Thank you all for your contributions! This newsletter is made possible by our subscribers. Consider giving $7/month on Patreon. Or you can give one-time on our website or PayPal. You can also support us by joining our curated digital community.

Nicole

Ps – The latest news released during the impeachment trials are harrowing. Be sure to review and amplify the Black Lives Matter movement's list of demands in response to those events. Details here.

TAKE ACTION

Urge your elected officials to improve your state’s COVID-19 race and ethnicity data reporting by using the resources on The COVID Tracking Project.
Search for petitions and other action items to ensure an equitable rollout of the vaccine in your state. Here are example actions to take in North Carolina and Georgia.
Contact your local mutual aid network to see how you can support those eligible for vaccinations in your community. You may be able to offer transportation or schedule appointments on behalf of others.
Individuals across the country are designing their own websites, Google docs, and social media accounts to make vaccine testing information more accessible (MIT Technology). Find the latest for your community and share/support where needed.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Over the past few weeks, valiant efforts to increase vaccination rates have been lauded by the press. Tuesday, White House officials announced a program to ship doses of the vaccine directly to a network of federally funded clinics in underserved areas (NYTimes). Pfizer expects to cut COVID-19 vaccine production time by close to 50%, promising more accessibility (USA Today).

But so far, the federal government has gathered race and ethnicity data for just 52% of all vaccine recipients. Among those, just 11% were given to recipients identified as Latino/Latina, and 5% were given to those identified as Black Americans (Politico). Although public health experts believe delivering vaccines directly to underserved communities is helpful, they note that the absence of comprehensive data makes it impossible to know whether vaccine distribution is truly equitable (NYTimes).

The lack of data on COVID-19 contraction and treatment’s racial disparities has been a persistent issue since the pandemic began in the U.S. last March. A study from the John Hopkins' Coronavirus Research Center published last June noted that racial and ethnic information was available for only about 35% of the total deaths in the U.S. during that time. Various advocacy organizations, including the Black Lives Matter movement, demanded accountability. While data have improved over time, they continue to have significant gaps and limitations, particularly on a state-by-state level (KFF). These discrepancies have made it difficult to understand its effects across communities and respond appropriately.

And now that we’re rigorously attempting to distribute the vaccine, the same challenges apply. In the NYTimes, Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, notes that the lack of data is alarming.

“

The race and ethnicity data is important because we know who’s bearing the brunt of the pandemic, so there is a fairness and an empathy issue. But there is also a disease control issue. If those are the groups most likely to get affected and die, those are the groups we need to make sure we are reaching with the vaccine.

Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, NYTimes

Even with limited data, the differences are apparent. NPR studied the locations of vaccination sites in major cities across the Southern U.S. and found that most are based in whiter neighborhoods (NPR). This data mirrors the organization’s previous reporting last May, which analyzed COVID-19 testing facilities (NPR). This continued disparity has immediate and urgent implications. Residents express their frustration with finding transportation to facilities for an available vaccine. But it also indicates a broader issue. Most vaccine distribution and tests are hosted in existing health care facilities, and those, too, are inequitably distributed. It’s a reminder that COVID-19 doesn’t just cause these disparities but exacerbates them.

And the South isn’t a unique case. Similar studies in other major cities show that vaccine accessibility prioritizes whiter neighborhoods (NPR). As Grist notes while analyzing Chicago data, these disparities often mean that more polluted communities are left behind (Grist). Communities with higher rates of pollution tend to have compounding health issues that can worsen the impact of COVID-19.

But it will take more than presidential intervention and speedier production timelines to get those most vulnerable vaccinated. A significant barrier to ensuring vaccines are utilized is trust. The Black community – and other communities of color - have a deep distrust of the medical system, an issue we’ve written about frequently in previous newsletters. Organizations have rallied quickly to create cross-cultural awareness campaigns, but it’s likely insufficient for solving generational trauma alone (Ad Council).

As individuals, we have little control over the systemic and political forces in play that makes vaccine distribution inequitable. But we can do our part to ease access for those in our communities. As the rollout continues, consider how you can also advocate for changes that transform our healthcare system, making it more responsive in times of future emergencies.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The vaccine rollout seems to favor white communities, with few people of color receiving the vaccine so far
Data on the vaccine rollout is limited due to constraints and disparities in state-by-state reporting
The lack of racial/ethnic data in the response to COVID-19 is a persistent issue that's affecting access to testing and treatment
Part of the issues in lack of accessibility stem from broader systemic disparities evident in healthcare

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 2/8/21 Nicole Cardoza 2/8/21

Address anti-Asian hate crimes.

Happy Monday, and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily! A rise in violence against the Asian community this past week prompted me to revisit this article from July, where I outlined the rising anti-Asian sentiment prompted by COVID-19 and the previous administration. I've included it below, with the addition of new sources to follow and the latest ways to take action.

Thank you all for your support. This newsletter is made possible by our subscribers. Consider subscribing for $7/month on Patreon. Or you can give one-time on our website or PayPal. You can also support us by joining our curated digital community.

Nicole

Ps – be sure to sign up for 28 Days of Black History.

TAKE ACTION

If you or someone you know experiences an anti-Asian attack, report it at stopaapihate.org.
Raise awareness and learn more by following the hashtag #StopAAPIHate on social media.
Ensure your company has implemented anti-discrimination policies that protect Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders using this PDF.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Over the past week, a series of attacks against the Asian community, particularly in the San Francisco Bay area, have led calls for justice. In SF, an 84-year-old man from Thailand, Vicha Ratanapakdee, was tackled to the ground. He ultimately died from his injuries (Yahoo). In Oakland, a 91-year-old man was senselessly knocked over. According to the Chinatown Chamber president, there have been 20+ robbery/assault incidents reported in the neighborhood over the past week (ABC7). These acts of violence match others that have sparked in cities across the country, as reported by @nguyen_amanda on Twitter. Despite the severity of these attacks, many major news sources have not yet reported on them.

The onset of COVID-19 in early March set off a dramatic spike in anti-Asian racism. The Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center, organized by the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council, has tracked over 1,900 self-reported acts of anti-Asian incidents from March 13 – June, and hundreds more from California and Texas since (A3PCON). 58% of Asian Americans feel it’s more common to experience racism now than it was before COVID-19, and 31% have been subject to slurs or jokes because of their race or ethnicity (Pew Research). A recent Pew Study reports that since COVID-19 about 40% of U.S. adults believe “it has become more common for people to express racist views toward Asians since the pandemic began” (Pew Research).

Former President Trump played a role in this, applying his divisive approach to conversations around COVID-19. He chose to refer to it as “Chinese virus,” or “kung flu,” consistently. Press noted he used “Chinese virus” over 20 times between March 16 and March 30 (NBC News). And there’s a long history of North America and its leaders using false narratives to associate Asian Americans with diseases to "justify" racial discrimination and violence.

In the late 19th century, many Chinese and Japanese people immigrated to the U.S. and Canada for the gold rush, along with immigrants from the UK and Europe. Their labor was indispensable for the growth of infrastructure alongside the West Coast, but they were also paid terribly compared to their white American counterparts (The Conversation).

As Chinese communities began to grow, white communities turned against them, fearing they would take their jobs and disrupt their quality of life. They ostracized them by blaming Chinese people for diseases – like syphilis, leprosy, and smallpox – growing in the region. This was entirely untrue; poverty, not race, is more accurately correlated with the spread of diseases.

Despite that, Canada created a Royal Commission on Chinese Immigration and concluded that "Chinese quarters are the filthiest and most disgusting places in Victoria, overcrowded hotbeds of disease and vice, disseminating fever and polluting the air all around,” even though they knew themselves it wasn’t accurate (The Conversation). This spurred violence and hateful rhetoric, but political changes, too: the U.S. passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, and Canada followed with their own Chinese Immigration Act in 1885. These were the first law for both countries that excluded an entire ethnic group (AAPF).

To see the same type of discrimination and violence rise yet again is terrifying. For our original piece last summer, I interviewed my friend Katie Dean, an educator currently working in the tech space, to get her thoughts. Dean, who has been self-isolating since March, expressed her frustration for the violence her community is experiencing.

"
Right now, who I actually am, doesn’t matter. When I walk out into the world, I am judged by my face. And currently the face of an Asian person, to some, is synonymous with COVID-19, the virus that has taken loved ones, the virus that’s brought the global economy to a crashing halt, the virus that has exacerbated every conceivable racial and socioeconomic disparity. And this hurts, on a profound level.

Katie Dean for the Anti-Racism Daily

Our country needs to take more direct action to protect the AAPI community. In just the past month, President Biden signed a memorandum to combat bias incidents toward Asian Americans, issuing guidance on how to better collect data and assist with the reporting of anti-Asian hate incidents (NBC News). But the work truly starts with each of us. We must continue to raise awareness and admonish this violence in our own communities.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

A rise in anti-Asian sentiment only further stresses the need for accountability from individuals and the government alike
The onset of COVID-19 in early March set off a dramatic spike in anti-Asian racism.
The U.S. and Canada have a history of accusing Asian Americans of disease as one of many ways to discriminate and incite violence against them.

RELATED ISSUES

10/13/2020 | Support Chinatown during COVID-19.

11/4/2020 | Understand intergenerational trauma.

11/22/2020 | Stand against hate crimes.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/18/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/18/20

Rest against capitalism this holiday season.

Because the United States of America has an unofficially Christian foundation, the Christmas holiday has always been front and center in winter holiday celebrations. Although the gift-giving aspect of the holiday stems from the story of the three wise men who bestowed gifts upon the newborn Jesus, the tradition has morphed into a modern-day capitalist monster. For most of history, this time of year was about spending time with one’s family. Still, after the publications of The Night Before Christmas (in 1823) and, especially, A Christmas Carol (in 1843), the idea of “Christmas shopping” flooded the Western marketplaces and changed the way we experience the holiday season forever (Bustle).

Happy Friday! As I reflect on the last few days of 2020, I'm making rest a priority. The holiday season often brings immense pressure, and the last days of the year often stress us to be more productive. Rest might feel like a selfish indulgence, but it's actually a revolutionary way to reclaim our sense of self and identity in a capitalistic society.

I appreciate how Shayna, the author of today's piece, draws the correlation between holiday expectations and the relationship between productivity and capitalism. Her words center the Black experience, but remind all of us that grace and ease is the greatest gift we can give ourselves and each other.

Tomorrow is our weekly Study Hall where we answer questions and share insights from the community. I'll have an exciting update about our community growing, too! As always, you can support our work by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Be honest with yourself and your loved ones this season: What is your financial situation this year? Is your spending linked to your idea of self-worth? Does this stem from racism?
Find communal ways to celebrate the holiday season, like volunteering at a food bank, gathering on a family Zoom call, having a holiday game night, or making gifts together.
If you can spend money on gifts this season, buy from Black and Indigenous-owned small businesses instead of Amazon or Wal-mart. Follow hashtags like #Blackownbusiness, #indigenousownedbusiness, #buyBlack, and #buyindigenous for ideas.
Follow @decolonizingtherapy and @thenapministry for practical ways to support BIPOC self-care this season.

GET EDUCATED

By Shayna Conde (she/her)

The capitalist history of modern Christmas

The toxic relationship between holiday capitalism and the intergenerational trauma of slavery

Intergenerational (also known as transgenerational) trauma is defined as a form of trauma whose “effects are not only psychological but familial, social, cultural, neurobiological and possibly even genetic” (American Psychological Association). The effects of the traumatic experience of transatlantic slavery are long-lasting and constantly being unearthed by those of us in the diaspora.

One way intergenerational trauma shows up is in the need to constantly work and produce as a means of identity. During slavery times, the monetary value of an enslaved African’s life was based upon what and how much they could produce (Measuring Worth). Although the time of transatlantic slavery is over, our current oppressive systems further instill in us that if we are not working until we drop (and can show proof of that labor), then we are worth less than others. The relationship between the ever-hungry capitalistic beast of modern-day Christmas and the ever-working, generationally traumatized Black person can be a dangerous one.

“Because the holiday season often requires us to keep track of and pay attention to a greater number of responsibilities than usual, the brain’s prefrontal cortex goes into overdrive. Over time, a high level of demand can decrease memory, halt production of new brain cells, and cause existing brain cells to die,” explains psychology professor Dr. Ellen Braaten (Harvard Medical School).

But must the holidays be such a stressful time, especially for communities that were struggling long before COVID became a pandemic? Consider this. 42% of Black people in the United States had hypertension between 2015-2016 (Center for Disease Control). As of 2015, over 46% of non-Spanish speaking Black US citizens had cardiovascular disease (American Heart Association). A 2014 study of Black women in a primary care setting found that 49% had symptoms of depression, and 10% experienced suicidal thoughts (Medical News Today). 18.8% of African Americans fell below the poverty line in 2019 (Poverty Talk). And all of these stats were taken before the coronavirus pandemic, and the economic crisis of 2020 even took place.

Self-care and rest are two means of self-motivated wellness that have not been widely encouraged in the Black community until recently. For much of my childhood years, I would hear that “If you had time to rest, you had time to work,” or other means of conflating rest with laziness. @thenapministry is an IG account that is changing the narrative of rest and recharge for Black people, specifically Black women, since we are afflicted with the “strong Black woman” stereotype (Healthline). Therapy is another form of self-care that has been highly stigmatized within the Black community. The account @decolonizingtherapy is fighting back to get more BIPOCs talking about mental health without focusing on the white perspective. @soyouwanttotalkabout is my means of staying up-to-date with what is happening in the world and the BLM movement without the risk of accidentally traumatizing myself with the mass of trauma porn on major news cycles. The end of this calendar year should be about growth, reflection and unashamed restfulness, especially for my fellow BIPOCs.

This November, I asked my grandmother, a 76-year old Black Jamaican woman: if she weren’t sick and if the world weren’t sick, what would she want to do with her life? I was expecting her to say that she would go on vacation or start baking with her grandkids or visit an old friend in Sedbergh, but instead, she replied, “I want to work again. It’s what I do best.” It can be difficult for all of us in the Black community to realize that we are more than what we produce when the world keeps telling us otherwise. If we do not know our worth, we will unintentionally pass these pains down to the next generation. Remember that you are not defined by your labor or what that labor can buy this holiday season.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

You are not defined by your labor or what that labor can buy.
Our oppressive systems instill in Black communities that if we are not working until we drop (and show proof of that labor), we are worth less than others.
The Black community’s intergenerational trauma and stress have direct links to serious health concerns that can be exacerbated during the holiday season. 42% of all Black US citizens between 2015 and 2016 had hypertension, and 1 in 2 Black women in primary caregiver roles had symptoms of depression. These numbers have undoubtedly grown during the pandemic.
This year has been particularly hard, so take a break without apologizing for it.

RELATED ISSUES

8/3/2020 | Stay awake.

10/14/2020 | Make the outdoors more equitable.

9/11/2020 | Protect Black women.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/17/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/17/20

Respect Hawaii’s sacred land.

To the average American, Hawaii elicits a fantasy. Palm trees swaying in the light wind. Hot white sands reflect a radiant sun and kiss a crystal clear ocean. Hula dancers wait at the doorsteps to a hotel overlooking the vast Pacific. But this fantasy is just that, and to many Native Hawaiians, their reality is quite the opposite. This continued exploitation of Hawaiian lands and culture to visitors, many of whom fail to appreciate its deep culture and culture, contributes to the systemic colonization of the Hawaiian islands.

Happy Thursday! Today we're joined by Isiah to acknowledge the impact of colonization on Hawaii, and more importantly, respect and revere its lands. I appreciate how this piece speaks to how pervasive systemic oppression is – how so many issues, both past and present, only exacerbate the challenges we face today.

Looking for a last-minute holiday present? Gift the Anti-Racism Daily to a friend. Or, simply share it with your community to unlock cool swag.

Our newsletter is free and made possible by generous contributions from our community – no advertising or sponsorships. Join in by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Learn, learn, learn. This simple task is one of the most critical requests by Native Hawaiians for visitors. Hawaii is more than a nice Instagram picture. It’s a land of complex history, sacred lands, and cultural meanings.
Contribute to local businesses, as opposed to larger companies that are foreign to Hawaiian islands.
Understand the importance of the sovereignty movement. To learn more, follow social media accounts such as Protect Mauna a Wakea and ANGRYANGRYHAWAIIAN.
Donate to organizations and sign petitions such as Stop Mark Zuckerberg from colonizing Kauai and The Immediate Halt to the Construction of the TMT telescope on Mauna Kea

GET EDUCATED

By Isiah Magsino (he/him)

“First and foremost, we don’t reject tourists,” begins Kayana Kamoku, a Native Hawaiian who currently resides on the Big Island. “But when our land is treated as a commodity or item of wealth, that’s an issue.” Last year, Kamoku joined hundreds of other protestors to march on Mauna Kea. The development of a 30-meter telescope continues to threaten more than Mauna Kea’s peak (Science Magazine). The telescope is slated to replace what happens to be one of the most sacred realms for the Hawaiian people: a revered place synonymous with a godly shrine (Oha).

Although this is a groundbreaking development currently affecting Native Hawaiians, it is certainly not the only one. Mark Zuckerberg continues to sue Native Hawaiians for pockets of land within, or nearby, his estate forcing a small family to have to bid for their land (The Guardian). On the island of Kauai, at a development site called Keonaloa, a well-known ancient Hawaiian burial ground was excavated to make way for luxury condominiums (MP Hawaii). On a more subtle level, as people from Asia and the mainland continue to immigrate to Hawaii, the cost of living continues to soar, pushing Native Hawaiians out of their very own island because it is no longer affordable (Cultural Survival). “Native Hawaiians who leave the islands for college dream of coming home. It’s a dream to live in the place our ancestors are from,” says Kamoku.

As Covid-19 continues to devastate the United States, Native Hawaiians face another issue: is tourism being put above their health and well-being? Since reopening in October, Hawaii has allowed tourists to bypass the 14-day quarantine if they proved a negative test that was taken prior (Washington Post). And although tourism plays a large part in Hawaii’s economy, Native Hawaiians are one of the ethnic groups hit hardest by COVID-19 (Star Advertiser).

The well-being of Native Hawaiians has been placed on the back burner. Locals receive citations for violating coronavirus regulations, while tourists are encouraged to flout them (NYTimes).

Together, these issues illustrate the umbrella effects of the systemic oppression of Native Hawaiians by American imperialism. Native Hawaiians continue to be pushed around and out of their own homes for the sake of catering to travelers (Cultural Survival). Investigate the motives behind Zuckerberg, the telescope, COVID travel, and the development of sacred burial grounds, and you get one common denominator: money from outside of Hawaii. This contributes to the growing wealth disparity between non-Native Hawaiians and Native Hawaiians, as Native Hawaiians have the highest poverty rate in Hawaii, nearing 13-percent (Maui Time).

Such outside business interests have long interfered in Hawaii. Since the late 1800s, Hawaii has suffered from imperialism. Hawaii’s sovereignty was stolen even though it was a sustainable nation recognized internationally. In 1893, 13 white businessmen staged a coup with the United States to get Hawaii annexed, disguised as a treaty. The coup led to the dissolving of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and in 1898, Hawaii was formally annexed by the United States. (Nisei).

A century later, we need to remember that the mountains and other natural elements that seem to illuminate the photos shared on social media are more than that. As Kayana Kamoku explains, “Our land is more than land. We hold it close to us. It is a cultural identity and community.” Hawaii’s sovereignty deserves to be recognized and respected.

If you are a Native Hawaiian involved in the sovereignty movement, please contact us at submissions@antiracismdaily.com — we’d love to share your story.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Native Hawaiians have strong ties to their land. Their land is an integral part of their identity and affects them physically, emotionally, and spiritually (Kanaÿiaupuni and Malone).
White colonizers stole Hawaii in correspondence with the United States. This racial scarring still runs deep with young Native Hawaiians (NEA).
Many Native Hawaiians suffer from poverty and are pushed out of their homes as residential prices rise (Ka Wai Ola).

11/24/2020 | Stop violence against Native women.

7/5/2020 | Support the Navajo Nation through COVID-19.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/16/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/16/20

Support domestic violence survivors during COVID-19.

Every year, ten million people experience domestic violence (also known as intimate partner violence) in the United States. Domestic abuse (which includes physical, emotional, and economic components) is used to systematically dominate and control victims, and has long been utilized in the systematic oppression of women (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence). This year has brought a rise in domestic violence worldwide as a result of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, orders that essentially trap victims with their abusers and increase opportunities for abuse to happen (The Washington Post).

Happy Wednesday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. Recently, the death toll from COVID-19 in the U.S. passed the 300,000 mark. But there's so much death and violence happening that the data doesn't take into account. Today, Erica joins us to share more information on how we can support domestic violence survivors during COVID-19.

Our newsletter is free and made possible by generous contributions from our community – no advertising or sponsorships. Join in by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or subscribe for $7/monthon Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

If you are someone you know is in immediate need of support, call 1-800-799-SAFE or chat life at thehotline.org.

Support local organizations that advocate for survivors of intimate partner violence. There are many regional ones, but a national one is the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV).
Use this guide from Domestic Abuse Intervention Services to support friends and family who are experiencing domestic violence
Create a safety plan by filling out this questionnaire by National Domestic Violence Hotline if you or a loved one is trying to leave an abusive environment safely (the website is structured so that it can quickly be exited if an abuser is near).
Follow @strongheartsdv and @survivorsofcolor, accounts led by women of color.

GET EDUCATED

By Erica Ezeifedi (she/her)

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the presence of intimate partner violence comes with “an overall cost to society,” including psychological trauma, increased risk of chronic disease, lost wages, loss of housing, physical injury and even death (SAMHSA). When race and gender intersect with domestic violence, the negative impact is exacerbated. Between 21-55% of Asian and Pacific Islander women, 41.2% of Black women, 29.7% of Latina women, and 51% of Indigenous women report experiencing intimate partner violence at some point in their lifetime (Women of Color Network). Black women experience intimate partner violence 35% more than white women, and at 2.5x the rate of other women of color.

Women of color face unique dynamics of intimate partner violence that serve as barriers to escaping (Color Lines). Within the Black community, women can risk re-victimization when seeking resources to escape. This could come in the form of being arrested in instances of self-defense, or even being harassed or assaulted by police officers. Unsurprisingly, national reports of police brutality also create a strong sense of distrust of the police among Black victims, decreasing the chances that they will seek legal action against their abusers (Women of Color Network). Black women may also feel obligated to endure abuse to protect the Black men abusing them (Essence).

Although Asian and Pacific Islander and Latina people have very distinct cultures, some of their abuse victims face similar complications. The jobs often available to abuse victims from these communities are low-waged and rife with sexual harassment and racial discrimination (Women of Color Network). Additionally, abusers in these communities may hang the threat of deportation over the heads of undocumented victims. Others may lack access to information due to language barriers.

Now, Native women suffer the second highest rates of intimate partner violence. “The staggering statistics of intergenerational trauma, abuse of both Native women and children by Native men can be traced directly to intergenerational trauma, genocide, and to the introduction of alcohol, Christianity, and the European hierarchical family structure,” Women of Color Network explains. Generations of mistrust nurtured by maltreatment by white people can also make victims fear seeking help outside of their community.

These issues have been exacerbated during the pandemic. A senior director at a major hospital in Massachusetts cited a radiology study as having confirmed “what we suspected. Being confined to home for a period of time would increase the possibility for violence between intimate partners” (WebMD). In April, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres added "We know lockdowns and quarantines are essential to suppressing COVID-19, but they can trap women with abusive partners. Over the past weeks, as the economic and social pressures and fear have grown, we have seen a horrifying surge in domestic violence.” He went on to suggest that governments around the world should “make the prevention and redress of violence against women a key part of their national response plan to COVID-19” (NPR).

Many of the ways in which the novel coronavirus has negatively impacted women of color are the same factors that make them more susceptible to being abused in the first place. Economic dependency, for instance, is one of the first things that must be established for many people in order to leave an abusive relationship. Many victims stay with their abusers because they provide economic support. The pandemic has worsened the chances for victims to leave as it has increased unemployment, especially for women of color (Economic Policy Institute).

Social isolation— a factor that increases the likelihood of domestic violence— has been one of the consequences of worldwide stay-at-home orders. This has effectively cut victims off from support systems that might have provided relief or helped them to escape an abusive partner (See “Considerations of the impacts of COVID-19 on domestic violence”). Additionally, the shelters that would normally house abuse victims have had to reduce capacity in accordance with COVID-19 preventative measures, leaving many abuse victims without housing separate from their abusers (The New England Journal of Medicine). Meanwhile, the widespread uncertainty from the pandemic can trigger abusers’ fundamental insecurities, resulting in an amplification of violence (WebMD).

Trans people worldwide have also experienced an increase in domestic abuse for many of the same reasons. According to Transrepect, “trans women of color, sex workers, migrants, youth, and poor” have been made more vulnerable to abuse by partners as a result of the pandemic. Since October 2019, there has been a 6% increase in reported murders of trans people worldwide, 98% of which were trans women or feminine-presenting trans people (Transrespect).

We must strive to find ways to adapt COVID-19 safety measures to support women of color and trans people at risk for domestic violence. It is vital to remember that these vulnerable groups are battling two pandemics at once, both of which are attacking their bodies, minds, and spirits.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

There are 10 million people a year who experience intimate partner violence, many of whom are women of color.
21-55% of Asian and Pacific Islander women, 41.2% of Black women, 29.7% of Latina women, and 51% of Indigenous women all experience intimate partner violence at some point in their lifetime.
Women of color who are victims of intimate partner violence are facing two pandemics at once. COVID-19 has increased economic dependency and isolation, while decreasing domestic violence shelter capacity, all of which make it harder to escape abusive relationships.
The pandemic has also made trans people more vulnerable to such violence. The reported murder of trans people has increased 6% worldwide since October 2019 (Transrespect)

12/7/2020 | Demand justice for Nickolas Lee.

11/23/2020 | Fight food insecurity.

11/11/2020 | Support the disability community through COVID-19.

10/13/2020 | Support Chinatown during COVID-19.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/9/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/9/20

Amplify mental health resources for immigrants.

The COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn has affected people globally, immigrants are especially vulnerable. As they grapple with job loss, family death, stacking bills, eviction, health issues, and remote schooling and caregiving, immigrants’ mental health is being impacted by these conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Happy Thursday and welcome back! A new Gallup survey found that "Americans’ assessment of our mental health is 'worse than it has been at any point in the last two decades'" (NYTimes). Although we covered the intersection of COVID-19 and systemic oppression frequently, we haven't discussed its impact on our mental health. Kayla joins us today with her perspective on how we can amplify mental health resources for immigrants, who are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

Thank you for all your messages alerting me that I didn't switch yesterday's Key Takeaways in the newsletter. My sincere apologies. They are correct on the web version of the newsletter. Usually, I make real-time edits where needed on the web version, found here: antiracismdaily.com/read.

Thank you for your generous support! Because of you, we can offer this newsletter free of charge and also pay our staff of writers and editors. Join in by making a one-time gift on ourwebsiteorPayPal, orsubscribe for $7/monthon Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go toantiracismdaily.com.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Learn more about mental health resources for immigrants and refer immigrants to the resources from the Immigrant Learning Center’s list
Share this curated list of diverse and inclusive therapists (from InclusiveTherapists.com) that can meet the needs of immigrants
Check your local mental health organization for ways you can support and/or spread the word about their resources.
Have conversations with family members to destigmatize mental health. First, educate yourself about your own mental health situation. Second, explore what support systems you have, and lastly, if you feel comfortable, share with loved ones what you are experiencing.

GET EDUCATED

By Kayla Hui (she/her)

While every administration has dealt with immigration differently, the Trump Administration has gained its notorious reputation for separating kids at the border. A few weeks ago, Trump blocked the Justice Department from paying for mental health services for migrant families who had been separated at the border especially amid a global pandemic (NBC News).

For example, 14.3% of immigrant workers live in overcrowded housing, making it difficult to practice social distancing (Center for Immigration Studies). Immigrants and children born from immigrant parents are also more likely to experience food insecurity (PubMed). Coupled with COVID-19 stress, they are dealing with job and health insurance loss, hampering mental health access.

Common mental health issues include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and psychiatric disorders related to exposure to war, violence, and torture (PubMed). A study found that immigrants were much less likely than nonimmigrants to utilize mental health services, especially among communities of color.

There are two types of barriers that hamper mental health access for immigrants, cultural and structural (PubMed). Cultural barriers include stigma, norms, and attitudes whereas structural barriers include factors such as costs, transportation, and discrimination.

When trying to seek mental health care, my sisters and I were always met with the same response: “You don’t need it. There’s nothing wrong with you.” Growing up in an uninsured immigrant household, stigmatization was just one of the barriers that prevented my family and I from seeking mental health services. When the pandemic hit, our mental health was hit hard. Some of my family members had lost their jobs, experienced stress from surmounting bills, and were socially isolated. I witnessed the repercussions of the pandemic on my family and knew that we weren't alone in experiencing these barriers to mental health access.

Oftentimes, access to mental health services can be seen as an extra or unnecessary expense especially in communities where stigma is prevalent, making it hard to justify its need to family members (The University of Chicago Press Journals). When mental health is left unmanaged, it can lead to physical health problems, homelessness, job instability, and suicide (Psychology Today).

In addition to the lack of health and mental health coverage for immigrants, language barriers persist in the mental health space. A study found an association between the under-utilization of psychiatric services with language proficiency (Psychiatry Online).

“What does this mean?” was a common question my grandmother would ask whenever we visited the doctors. Because English was my grandmother’s second language, I translated healthcare information in the doctor’s office from Cantonese to English so that she could understand. For many immigrants where English is not their Native language, understanding health information can be daunting. Therefore, there is a need for multilingual mental health providers who are culturally competent and can understand the mental health needs of immigrants.

Beyond cultural barriers, there are structural roadblocks including the lack of access to health insurance. Unfortunately, health insurance coverage for immigrants is a complex issue that predates the pandemic. Back in the 1940s, the United States federal government tied health insurance to employment by incentivizing employers to start offering health insurance to workers. As health insurance industry grew, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) began chipping away at the tax-exempt status. To save the tax-exemption for employer-based insurance, the Eisenhower administration secured tax-exemption permanently. Thus, employer-based health insurance was born. (The Observer).

Health insurance access is even harder for undocumented immigrants, many of whom are not eligible to work jobs due to the racist and discriminatory nature of our employment and health system. Under federal programs such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid, undocumented immigrants are not eligible to receive those benefits, leaving the state of their mental health vulnerable (Health Insurance). Of the 44.8 million immigrants living in the United States, nearly 20% were uninsured in 2018 (Pew Research Center).

And this issue was exacerbated because of COVID-19. Between February and March, the number of unemployed immigrants increased by 30%, doubling the unemployment rate of U.S. born workers. (Migration Policy Institute). Because health insurance coverage is tied to employment, immigrants lost their health insurance and mental health coverage.

Federal programs are fueled by taxpayer dollars. It is disheartening to see how immigrants are not covered under some federal programs, despite undocumented immigrants paying a total of $11.7 billion in state and local taxes, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (Vox). Due to the 1996 welfare law, it categorized immigrants for eligibility for federal programs such as “qualified” and “not qualified” (National Immigration Law Center). The “qualified immigrant category includes people with green cards, refugees granted asylum, certain survivors of sex trafficking and abuse. For the “not qualified” category, those include undocumented individuals. Many federal benefit programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, non-emergency Medicaid, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) leave immigrants out. And because health insurance coverage is not distributed equally, the health system was designed to only benefit a select few, leaving immigrants with worser mental health outcomes. Sadly, the United States does not provide universal healthcare for all.

When members of our community thrive, we all thrive. Immigrants are members of our community and their health should be a priority. We can support their mental health by destigmatizing it, supporting policies that shape health insurance access for immigrants, and support community organizations that are amplifying their mental health needs.

Mental health impacts every facet of our lives. It governs our daily actions and shapes our behavior. Therefore, access to affordable mental health should be prioritized and made available. Mental health is a human right.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting immigrants' mental health.
Cultural and structural barriers hamper immigrants mental health access (PubMed).
Albeit undocumented immigrants pay taxes, they aren’t protected or covered under federal programs like the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid programs

10/5/2020 | Protect undocumented Americans.

9/17/2020 | Abolish ICE.

8/10/2020 | Respect the relationship between name and identity.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/7/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/7/20

Demand justice for Nickolas Lee.

On April 12th, 2020, Cassandra Greer-Lee discovered that her husband, Nickolas Lee, had died after contracting coronavirus in Chicago’s Cook County Jail (CCJ). At the time, the jail was the nation’s “largest-known source of coronavirus infections” (NY Times). Like many of CCJ’s detainees, Lee was awaiting trial. Today, Cassandra is sharing her personal experience with us. In this interview, she tells us about her beloved husband, her ongoing activism, and what she thinks achieving true justice for her husband would look like.

Happy Monday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. Today, we're centering Cassandra Greer-Lee and her fight for justice for her husband, Nickolas, and all detainees vulnerable to COVID-19. Take a few moments today to join her efforts.

This newsletter is made possible by our generous group of supporters. Join in by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or giving monthly on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go to antiracismdaily.com. You can share this newsletter and unlock some fun rewards by signing up here. Thank you all for making this work possible.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Support Cassandra and other Cook County Jail protesters via @justice4nicklee or facebook.com/JusticeForNickolas. Mutual aid can be sent to facilitator @Megan-Kay-2 (Venmo) or $megankay11(Cashapp). To spread awareness, use hashtags #JusticeForNick and #FreeThemAll.
Contact your state’s attorney or county sheriff’s office. Demand that officials protect public health by protecting, isolating, and releasing detainees. (If you are in Cook County, Chicago Community Bond Fund (@chibondfund) provides templates.)
Support laws like the Pre-trial Justice Fairness Act to end money bond. Donate to bail bond funds.
Follow groups like Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (@soulinchicago), Torture Justice Center (@chitorturejustice) and Nikkei Uprising to support and learn more.

GET EDUCATED

By Jami Nakamura Lin with Cassandra Greer-Lee (she/her)

Today, Cassandra is sharing her personal experience with us. In this interview, she tells us about her beloved husband, her ongoing activism, and what she thinks achieving true justice for her husband would look like.

First, some context: today, eight months after Lee died, coronavirus is again widely circulating at CCJ. As of December 4th, 316 of the 5,493 people detained in the jail have coronavirus, the highest number of current cases ever (Cook County Jail Coronavirus Tracker). Yet CCJ does not plan to release any further detainees. (In the spring, due to public pressure and coronavirus concerns, CCJ released some of “those awaiting trial and low-level nonviolent offenders” (CNN).)

Inmates, advocates, and correctional officers themselves have long argued that CCJ hasn’t done nearly enough to protect the public health of people inside (Block Club Chicago). In September, a federal appeals court upheld a judge’s earlier injunction that mandated widespread coronavirus prevention policies inside the jail, despite Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s appeals (Chicago Community Bond Fund). For more on the conditions inside CCJ, check out Injustice Watch.

Interview with Cassandra Greer-Lee

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

In the beginning of this painful battle, on the day Nickolas died, I called Channel 7 News. They were airing the coronavirus deaths, and I asked if they could please stop labeling him “Detainee #3”. He has a name. My battle has been to show that he was a man. Not just a detainee, not just a number. That’s why I carry his big picture around all the time. He had a family that loved him.

He was only 43 years old. He had a lot of living left to do with me. He was a phenomenal cook and a wonderful friend. He was the type of person to encourage you to do better and be better. People might have thought he was mean because he never smiled, but he wasn’t. He loved to see me smile. God couldn’t have blessed me with a better man, and I will never find another friend like him in all my life. My goal was to continue to grow old with him. But that was cut short. His death was preventable.

So I want people to know— please look past the things [Sheriff Tom] Dart said about my husband. He should have had the opportunity to go through the judicial system so a judge could decide whether he was guilty or not guilty. But instead, he was sentenced to death by coronavirus at Cook County Jail. The saddest part about CCJ and this whole system is that they would rather prepare for mass incarceration than to make programs, help children, and give money to low-income communities to prevent mass incarceration.

The jail system is not made to reform anyone. This is profit. This is human lives for profit.

I just need everyone to know— yeah, my husband was an inmate. He still deserved to live. I don’t deserve this pain. I tried to save his life. My husband tried to save his own life to no avail. And Tom Dart [who tested positive at the end of November] gets to quarantine with all the wonderful luxuries of his home and the comfort of his wife. I don’t wish him any ill will, because no one should have to go through the pain that I’m going through. But he doesn’t have to be in a hospital room alone with people coming in wearing space suits. At the hospital, my husband couldn’t even walk to the window to see me, and I was downstairs there every day he was at Stroger [Hospital]. I was just trying to send up my energy to him.

I think if he had gotten to Stroger earlier, he could have lived. But when he got there, he went straight to the ICU. He was already in an advanced stage of COVID. Based on speaking to my husband on the phone, the [CCJ] guards were scared to come on the tier. The nurses were afraid. It took until inmates were deathly ill before they could be moved [to the hospital].

I am fighting my hardest to make sure that no other family feels this pain. Unfortunately, we just filled the eighth casket that we were hoping that we wouldn’t. But we’re still fighting, and I now have forces that have joined with me. At the beginning, I was alone and no one really cared about an inmate’s wife. And then people like Chicago Community Bond Fund (@chibondfund) and Nikkei Uprising came and stood with me. People like Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (@soulinchicago) and Torture Justice Center (@chitorturejustice).

On one hand, we are getting victories— on the court side, judges are agreeing with us. We were able to defund the jail by $35 million, even though it was only a fraction of the $157 million we were hoping to put back into Black and Brown communities. (Read more about Budget for Black Lives. ) We are being heard. This fight isn’t in vain.

But the victory isn’t where I really would like to see it, which is back there with the detainees [in CCJ], those human beings whose lives are in jeopardy. Their fate could be my husband’s. I keep in contact with other inmates mainly through the phone, but also when I’m outside protesting, through letters in the windows, notes on dry erase boards. I first connected with them when my husband was there— he would have other inmates call me to see if I had found any help [for his coronavirus]. Some days he was too sick to call me, so they would call me instead.

After Nick, I told them to keep calling me. My heart is so heavy for them. I am fighting for them. I was speaking to one of their mothers, and she was crying so hard. Her son’s bond is $200,000, and she just doesn’t have it. She’s doing all the overtime she can. It broke my heart because she was right: your freedom depends on wealth. And he’s not yet convicted of anything.

So for me, finding true justice for Nickolas would be first, voting Tom Dart out, and to get [a sheriff] who understands that inmates’ lives matter. Second, to end money bail. And then— I know this is farfetched— to close down county jails. Before then, to stop preparing for mass incarceration, and instead to prevent incarceration.

As of right now, the memories hurt. I try to think so hard about them, even though that’s all I have left— memories. But I have to fight. I just can’t let them murder him and do nothing. I’m going to go out every Sunday until we win. As long as my husband is dead and Tom Dart is there, I’m going to be out there.

Cassandra Greer-Lee protests in front of Cook County Jail every Sunday afternoon from 1-5pm and welcomes others to join her. For more information, check out @justice4nicklee or facebook.com/JusticeForNickolas. Mutual aid can be sent to facilitator @Megan-Kay-2 (Venmo) or $MeganKay11(Cashapp). Donations are requested for protester supplies (heaters, signs, etc) and for materials for people inside CCJ (books, crosswords, etc). To spread awareness, use hashtags #JusticeForNick and #FreeThemAll.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Nickolas Lee died on April 12th, 2020. He was a phenomenal cook, a wonderful husband and friend, and the third person detained at Cook County Jail (CCJ) to die of coronavirus. At the time, CCJ was the nation’s “largest-known source of coronavirus infections” (NY Times).
Like many people in CCJ, Lee was awaiting trial. Because of America’s unjust pre-trial money bond system, the wealthy can await trial at home, while those without enough money to pay bail remain incarcerated and at risk.
Lee’s wife, Cassandra Greer-Lee, believes that achieving #JusticeForNick means replacing Sheriff Tom Dart, ending money bail, changing our mass incarceration system, and— eventually— closing county jails.

10/29/2020 | Fight racist death row sentencing.

8/23/2020 | Support those incarcerated and impacted by COVID-19.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 11/23/20 Nicole Cardoza 11/23/20

Fight food insecurity.

A new report found that one in five people in the U.S. have turned to a food pantry, food bank, or community food distribution at some point since the pandemic began, a 50% increase than before (Consumer Report). And Household Pulse survey found that nearly 11 % of American adults “sometimes or often” did not have enough to eat in the previous seven days, according to data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau from Oct. 14 to 26, a stark increase from 3.7% increase in 2019 (Washington Post). And the people most likely to need support are people of color. Over a third of Black Americans have used a food pantry, food bank, or community food distribution during the pandemic, and 22% of Hispanics (Consumer Report).

Happy Monday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. We've been reporting on COVID-19 regularly since the start of this newsletter, and haven't tackled the issue of hunger head-on until today. Food is often the center of many people's celebrations this month and next. As we head into the holiday season, do what you can to center food access, too.

I know things may feel overwhelming right now. But I'm confident we can get through anything together. Remember that no matter where you are, you're not going through this alone. I'm rooting for you.

Thank you for making this newsletter possible! Support our work by making a one-time contribution on our website or PayPal, or giving monthly on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go to antiracismdaily.com. New! You can share this newsletter and unlock some fun rewards by signing up here.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

If you need assistance, check to see if you are eligible for the federal Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP). In addition, reach out to food banks near you and explore other resources that may help.

Donate to a local food bank, food pantry, or food-related mutual aid network. Ask before you give: some may prefer canned goods, and others may ask for monetary donations, which can help them buy what’s needed tax-free at a local grocer. Here is a list of food banks by location. If you can, make it a monthly donation.
Sign up to volunteer at your local food bank or mutual aid fund to distribute food on Thanksgiving and throughout the weekend.
Contact your senators and demand they pass the HEROES Act.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Our nation – and countries around the world – are facing an unprecedented hunger crisis.

The growing hunger crisis is a heartbreaking outcome of various aspects of the impact of COVID-19. Unemployment and the lack of fiscal stimulus from the federal government make buying food difficult. But with millions of kids temporarily or permanently out of school, many families have lost their relationship with free-and-reduced food programs that these schools provide. This creates added strains for families to feed everyone at home (The 74). Even the rising cost of utility bills are draining limited funds at home (Washington Post).

And this issue is exacerbated by the rising cost of food. Globally, food costs are rising as countries begin to stockpile. Individuals, too, are hoarding the staples as they stay indoors, clearing shelves at local grocery stores (Marketplace). Although they’ve dipped slightly since their peak in August, prices now are still 4.1% higher than September 2019, and the forecasted outbreak leaves projections looking grim (USDA). The increase in costs makes food more inaccessible for consumers – and food banks, too.

Food banks have been overwhelmed since the first wave of COVID-19 in the U.S (The Atlantic). And many were struggling to support the local community before the pandemic even started. On average, 35 million people face hunger in the United States – which is approximately the entire population of Canada. And, despite the misconception, many of those people are families with at least one working adult (Feeding America). Our nation is inherently inequitable, and access to food is no exception. Food banks were never designed to be a sustainable long-term solution to a growing hunger crisis, and considerable support is necessary for them to continue.

As many local food banks and pantries struggle with the strain, mutual aid organizations have mobilized quickly to help support. As we’ve discussed in a previous newsletter, mutual aid networks can often offer fast and immediate support to a hyper-local community in need. And food is no exception. Although they may feel less organized and official than the places you’re familiar with donating, they are often making immediate, on-the-ground that larger organizations can’t. Do your research and support wherever possible.

Charitable endeavors can’t do this work alone, and many are calling for the federal government to take action. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, is a national response to food inequity that supports nearly 38 million people (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities). In the Consumer Reports article, Luis Guardia, president of the Food Research and Action Center notes that for every meal that charities provide, the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP) provides nine (Consumer Reports).

A 15 % increase in SNAP funding was proposed by House Democrats in the HEROES Act 2.0 stimulus bill, which is projected to help 16 million people – including 7 million children – who live in households that participate in SNAP and have not received extra SNAP pandemic-emergency benefits (Washington Post). This stimulus bill is still (still!) awaiting a decision in the Senate. Many expect the Biden administration to move quickly on this upon inauguration.

But January 20, 2021 is a long way away, and people are in need now. Not just in the U.S., but around the world. U.N. agencies believe that 250 million people in 20 countries will be impacted by severe malnutrition or even famine in the coming months (AP News). As a community, we must do our best to support each other right now. In addition, we have to commit long-term to see each other through this crisis and advocate for food security for all.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Hunger is a growing crisis in both the U.S. and around the world, with a disproportionate amount of people of color relying on food banks than ever before
An investment in SNAP benefits could help 16 million people access food
Food banks are struggling to meet demand as the pandemic worsens with no end in sight

10/13/2020 | Support Chinatown during COVID-19.

10/6/2020 | Be afraid of COVID-19.

9/16/2020 | Fight for paid sick leave.

9/6/2020 | Protect the aging population from COVID-19.

8/30/2020 | Protect housing rights during COVID-19.

8/23/2020 | Support those incarcerated and impacted by COVID-19.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 11/11/20 Nicole Cardoza 11/11/20

Support the disability community through COVID-19.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court met to determine whether or not the Affordable Care Act should be invalidated. And although we can’t expect a decision anytime soon, early conversations indicate that the Affordable Care Act is likely to stay, which should protect the coverage of millions of people in the months ahead (NPR). The ACA supports tens of millions of people in the U.S. but particularly provides access to coverage for people with disabilities that might not be able to receive it otherwise (KFF).

But the concept of mutual aid is much more deeply rooted than the simple act of Venmo-ing $15 to a stranger on Twitter.

Happy Wednesday, and welcome back! Thank you to our veterans – today and every day. As COVID-19 cases skyrocket, it's critically important that we center the needs of the disability community, particularly those that are also people of color. Today we're joined by disability advocate and non-profit founder Ola Ojewumi to learn how we can support.

This is the Anti-Racism Daily, a daily newsletter with tangible ways to dismantle racism and white supremacy. You can support our work by making a one-time contribution on our website or PayPal, or giving monthly on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go to antiracismdaily.com.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Donate to the National Black Disability Coalition, which works to address disability issues for Black people, with an emphasis on people who live in poverty.
Volunteer for Protest Access, a volunteer collective focused on Black Lives Matter and anti-racism related content on social media that provides captioning, transcription, and visual descriptions as requested.
Save the Disability Disaster Hotline number, created, owned and operated by The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies: 1-800-626-4959. (https://disasterstrategies.org/hotline/).
If you see medical malpractice against people of disabilities, report it. Here is a list of contacts for each state in the U.S.

GET EDUCATED

But even with the Affordable Care Act, significant disparities exist for people with disabilities in healthcare, especially those that identify as people of color and/or LGBTQIA+ (Disability Scoop). Also, our nation is in the midst of another severe outbreak of COVID-19 (NYTimes). This not only directly impacts the health of some people with disabilities that can make them at higher risk. It also can create complications with broader medical care – and disrupts everyday life.

What’s more, people experiencing long-term complications from COVID-19 – referred to as long-haulers – are joining the disability community (STAT News). And although new vaccine trial data is promising, the rollout does not prioritize people with disabilities (NYTimes). We must do more to protect people with disabilities during this pandemic.

I interviewed Ola Ojewumi, an activist, journalist, and community organizer, on the intersection of COVID-19 and disability advocacy.

How do you see COVID-19 impacting healthcare moving forward, particularly for people with disabilities?

The healthcare system pre-COVID-19 has mistreated people with disabilities, and I don't foresee much of a future change. People with intellectual disabilities die at higher rates of COVID-19. This reflects a culture that doesn't see value in disabled life, let alone saving disabled lives. (Read more about this in an article from The Atlantic). It is extremely challenging navigating the medical system as a person with a disability. We tend to have more medical comorbidities that exacerbate COVID-19. These include obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and we're more likely to smoke.

Income inequality and lack of access to quality healthcare are major problems amongst people with disabilities and marginalized groups. The COVID-19 crisis proved that the healthcare system wasn't equipped to handle a major medical crisis. It was built to meet the needs of those that can afford healthcare.

How do you think COVID-19 will continue to exacerbate these disparities?

The healthcare and hospital systems were already ill-equipped to handle a crisis, but none of this magnitude. Doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers were already overworked and exhausted. The pandemic will only exacerbate unconscious bias and medical racism (learn more by reading the investigation of Michael Hickson’s death on NPR). The quest for a vaccine is marred with complaints that not enough people of color were not included in testing. Vaccines cannot be effective in patients of color unless they’re included.

A pediatric drug commonly used to treat children with asthma, Albuterol, was proven ineffective in Black children. This was because no Black children were included in the clinical trials (NPR). I used to take that drug. This is what racial bias in medicine looks like. Racism doesn't have to be intentional or hateful. It comes in forms as innocent as failing to include non-white children in clinical trials. (Read more about the importance of representation in vaccine trials in our previous newsletter).

Many people have noted how President Trump and his administration’s stance on COVID-19 aren’t just dismissive, but ableist. How is that harmful? What is its impact on communities with disabilities?

President Trump's rhetoric is more than just harmful. It's outright dangerous and puts the lives of people with disabilities at further risk. He encourages not wearing masks despite being infectious and having [had] COVID-19 himself. This may influence his supporters to view COVID-19 as something minor. It's not because it's killed over 200,000 people. A big chunk of those people were disabled. We are more susceptible to catching COVID-19 due to numerous factors like compromised immune systems and poverty.

His commentary will undoubtedly influence his base, amongst others, to take fewer precautions to prevent this disease's spread. Disabled Americans are most at risk, and the leader of the free world has told us, "Don't be scared of it" (NBC News). How can we not be terrified when it's taken so many of our lives and that of our loved ones? We have every right to be terrified with such poor leadership at the top. Trump continues to downplay the virus as the death toll continues to rise, and we lose more people due to a preventable pandemic. We deserve better and must demand better.

What do you wish people with privilege would do to address systemic inequities in healthcare?

If you see racist behavior, report it. We need people with the privilege to find the courage to call it out instead of remaining silent. Advocate for diversity and inclusion in healthcare systems. Support programs that invest in the education of Black physicians and healthcare workers. Plan an unconscious bias training. There is no limit to what you can do to weed out bias and save countless lives.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

COVID-19 disproportionately impacts the disability community, particularly those that also have mother marginalized identities
COVID-19 is exacerbating medial bias and making people in the disability community fearful of finding adequate medical care
With COVID-19 cases rising in the U.S. and around the world, we need to center the needs of the disability community in our response

RELATED ISSUES

10/29/2020 | Fight racist death row sentencing.

8/12/2020 | Demand justice for Elijah McClain.

9/17/2020 | Abolish ICE.

9/3/2020 | Support mental health response services.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 10/13/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/13/20

Support Chinatown during COVID-19.

Happy Tuesday,

We're continuing our ongoing coverage of COVID-19 by analyzing the impact of anti-Asian racism on small businesses, mainly restaurants, in Chinatown. Jami shares stories and insights from the communities impacted and outlines how we can help.

Speaking of help, thank you all for helping our work grow. Thanks to you and Jami, we're bringing on an influx of new writers to offer fresh perspectives. If you haven't already, consider making a contribution. You can give on our website, PayPal, Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe monthly on Patreon.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Support your local Chinatown. If you’ve never been, do some research to find out the perfect place to order from. Don’t be constrained by what’s available on apps—to find the best food, you’re probably going to have to make a phone call.
Read the stories in Resy’s extensive “Welcome to Chinatown, USA” series. Each is a love letter to a food or restaurant in Chinatowns across the country.
Broaden your understanding of Chinese American history and culture beyond just food.

GET EDUCATED

By Jami Nakamura Lin (she/her)

Like many other Asian Americans, when I first heard about the novel coronavirus ravaging Wuhan, China, I was afraid. Our fear was not just of the potential reach of the disease, but of what being Asian American, particularly Chinese American, would mean in a country prone to xenophobia, racism, and hysteria. I remembered the white college friend who, upon greeting me, would say, “Eww, don’t touch me—you probably have bird flu.” For him, this was a recurring bit; for me, it was a bite.

His “joke” recalled all those old stereotypes associated with the Chinese in America—that we carry disease, that we are dirty—that the coronavirus brought again to the forefront. (I wrote at length about coronavirus, fear, contagion, and Asian America in another essay.)

“The outbreak has had a decidedly dehumanizing effect, reigniting old strains of racism and xenophobia that frame Chinese people as uncivilized, barbaric “others” who bring with them dangerous, contagious diseases and an appetite for dogs, cats, and other animals outside the norms of Occidental diets. These ideas [are] perennially the subtext behind how Chinese people are viewed by the Western gaze.”
-Jenny G. Zhang in Eater

In those early months, fear arrived in the United States long before the virus did. This fear was wielded as a weapon, as evidenced by all stories of Asian Americans being spat on, jumped, shouted at, as we wrote about in a previous newsletter. But beyond those individual stories, you can just look at what happened to Chinatowns across the country.

Before the first cases ever arrived in New York City, fear of the virus made Chinatown business drop 50-70% (NYTimes), a number that replicated in Chinatowns across the United States (Eater) and in other Western nations. And it wasn’t just Chinatown—other restaurants owned and operated by Asian Americans started declining as early as December or January (KQED). The timing was especially poor: this happened around the Lunar New Year when Chinese restaurants pull in most of their business.

“At New Year’s, we had our 121st Golden Dragon Parade celebration, and only like 10 percent of the people showed up. The virus didn’t have anything to do with Chinatown, but it being associated as an Asian thing by the president, people just got that phobia about it.”
-Glenn SooHoo, owner of a small business in Los Angeles’s Chinatown (National Geographic)

“It was a fall-off-the-cliff kind of decline,” the owner of Hang Ah Tea Room in San Francisco told NPR’s Bay Area affiliate KQED. Several restaurants have closed permanently; others are unsure how long they can survive. The loss of some of these restaurants would mean losing pieces of our history and culture. Hang Ah Tea Room is the country’s oldest dim sum house, and one hundred years after its opening, the owner had to lay off over half his staff, most of them new immigrants (KQED).

But Chinatowns have faced very similar xenophobia before. During the 19th century, their residents were blamed for smallpox outbreaks. “The city health officer ordered the fumigation of every house in Chinatown,” writes Melissa Hung (San Francisco Chronicle). “Yet the epidemic raged on. Unable to account for the epidemic’s severity, he doubled down on his belief that “treacherous Chinamen” had caused it.”

The first Chinatown developed in San Francisco during the influx of Chinese immigrants during the Gold Rush in the 1800s. “These men were bachelors who needed sleeping quarters, clean clothes, and hot meals after long days of grueling labor; this [led] to a proliferation of housing, laundry services, and restaurants in burgeoning, Chinese-centric neighborhoods,” writes Rachel Ng (National Geographic). But, she adds, they also grew out of necessity, as they were not welcome in many other places. “After the abolition of slavery, Chinese immigrants provided a cheap source of labor, leading to resentment from the white working class.”

After the Gold Rush, Chinese immigrants found all kinds of work, most famously on the railroads. (Learn more about their work on the transcontinental railroad through the Smithsonian’s online exhibit Forgotten Workers). But anti-Chinese sentiment grew among white Americans, and in 1882, President Arthur signed the first Chinese Exclusion Act, barring almost all Chinese from entering the country (Chinese Historical Society of America). It was America’s first race-based immigration law.

Such stereotypes and discrimination have also shaped how many Chinese restaurants run and what kind of food they serve today. White Americans usually don’t view Chinese food as fancy or refined; they’re not used to paying a higher price point (NPR). Therefore, Chinese restaurants often use a high-volume, low-margin business model. Without a high volume of patrons, they are hit extra hard. Additionally, most restaurants in Chinatowns are small businesses, some owned and operated by generations of a single family. Few used apps like GrubHub before the coronavirus, so they were at a disadvantage when the pandemic struck (Fortune).

📰 Read about the model minority myth in our previous newsletter.

If all our Chinatowns make it through, it will be because of the resilience of the community. “Chinatown has a history of surviving adversities, with several indications the neighborhood will weather this one, too,” writes Melissa Hung (San Francisco Chronicle). Even during these difficult times, the community has banded together. Feed and Fuel Chinatown, an initiative from San Francisco’s Chinatown Community Development Center, delivered over 120,000 free meals to people living in public housing or SROs throughout COVID-19 (Chinatown CDC).

In August, Chicago’s Chinatown had “signs of a modest rebound,” said Kevin Pang (Resy). “Outdoor seating has been installed in Chinatown Square, and virtually everyone wears face masks.” When I went, it wasn’t nearly as busy as pre-pandemic, but neither was it a ghost town. There were signs of life. So when you choose to order food, remember to support the restaurants coronavirus hit first and hardest. Support our Chinatowns.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The coronavirus revived our country’s long history of anti-Chinese racism.
In Chinatowns across the country, restaurant business dropped 50-70%, even before the shutdowns (Eater).
The first Chinatown developed in San Francisco during the influx of Chinese immigrants during the Gold Rush in the 1800s.
In 1882, the president signed the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first race-based immigration law (Chinese Historical Society of America).

8/16/2020 | Think before eating out.

7/27/2020 | Support Asian Americans through COVID-19.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 10/6/20 Nicole Cardoza 10/6/20

Be afraid of COVID-19.

With over 208,000 people lost and 7.5M reported cases, yesterday the President told the American people not to “be afraid of COVID-19”. This tweet was sent after the President was rushed to the hospital after contracting COVID-19 last week, likely at a White House event where most participants did not wear masks or properly social distance.

Currently, the news cycle is laser-focused on how a small and exclusive group of rich, powerful white people contracted COVID-19. Yet during that time, hundreds of thousands of everyday people have, too. The resurgence of the virus across the U.S. is discomforting, to say the least. But being afraid of a global pandemic that's ravaging the country and exposing its systemic inequities is a much more compassionate response than apathy or greed. Today, we unpack why it's critical we take this virus – and the disparities it illuminates – seriously as we head to the holidays.

Remember, you can always switch from a daily newsletter to a weekly digest (sent on Saturdays) by updating your profile information here.

Your support helps sustain this daily, free newsletter. Thanks to you, we can write about what matters, and center the voices of people of color that are often overlooked in the media industry. Make a contribution on our website, PayPal, Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe monthly on Patreon. Thank you!

Nicole

ps – the title isn't to spark fear, but solidarity. Please remember how many lives are at stake beyond your own.

TAKE ACTION

Find a local mutual aid network in your community that you can support through the winter.
Double-down on your preventative practices where possible: wear your mask, maintain physical distance, wash your hands, and stay home when you’re feeling sick.
Vote for state and federal candidates that take COVD-19 seriously.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

With over 208,000 people lost and 7.5M reported cases, the President told the American people not to “be afraid of COVID-19” on Twitter. This tweet was sent after the President was sent to the hospital after contracting COVID-19 last week, likely at an event at the White House where most participants did not wear masks or properly social distance. Since that event, over a dozen senior staffers and many more staff members have positively tested for COVID-19 (NYTimes).

If all that irony wasn’t enough, the President’s tweet shortly followed new evidence from the CDC that COVID-19 can “travel distances beyond six feet,” acknowledging that the virus can be “spread by airborne transmission“ indoors with inadequate ventilation (CDC).

This is major. The organization had made this statement earlier this month, but retracted it quickly, saying that a draft was posted in error (Forbes). And for months prior, hundreds of experts from around the world were pressing the organization to acknowledge the possibility of airborne infections to no avail (NYTimes). Although it’s unclear what the hesitation has been to draw short of calling it airborne, this acknowledgment may prompt much more stringent adherence to preventative measures.

And we need to be vigilant now more than ever. With over 43,000 cases a day, the U.S. has reached its highest daily contract rate of the disease than in the past two months (NYTimes). Twenty-one states have seen a rise in cases (CNN), and the average number of people hospitalized for coronavirus in a week rose recently for the first time since July (Covid Tracking Project).

As we’ve reported repeatedly throughout the past three months, the racial disparities of the impact of COVID-19 are significant. The latest from a Senate committee report shows that Black people are dying from COVID-19 at 3.4 times the rate of white people, and the disease is the cause of 1 in 5 deaths among Latinx. In addition, American Indian or Alaska Native patients are 4x more likely to be hospitalized than white people (NPR). And although many states and major cities acknowledged racism as a public health crisis and created various taskforces and initiatives to help offset the disproportionate impact, critics are skeptical on how effective these initiatives have been (WTTW).

As the weather cools across the country and people head indoors, there’s already an increased likelihood for the virus to spread. With the latest news from the CDC, it’s presumable that chances to catch the virus may increase. Already, we’re spending more time in close proximity: many people have returned back to offices, schools and daycares, and 39% of Americans plan to travel this holiday season (Hopper). And as we enter flu season, health officials are warning of a “twindemic,” where flu-like symptoms may mask symptoms of COVID-19, or weaken immune systems to make people more susceptible to catching both. The flu is also likely to take up valuable space in doctors’ offices and hospitals, which could greatly hinder a state’s ability to respond to a COVID-19 outbreak (NYTimes).

But we shouldn’t only be afraid of ourselves – or each other – contracting the virus. We need to fear the impact it’s having on our lives and our livelihood. Consider employment: as of this month, over 2.4M people have been out of work for six months, which constitutes long-term employment (Bureau of Labor Statistics). But more damaging: at least 5M more people will be unemployed long-term by the end of the year. Entire industries, like hospitality and travel, are struggling to return. Companies that have shifted to remote learning may never go back to offices. Over 3M people have lost their health insurance since the pandemic started, leaving them vulnerable to future potential illnesses (Forbes). And eviction moratoriums, student loan and mortgage forbearances, and other graces provided to those in need are unlikely to last forever. Our foundation is crumbling quickly and has already eroded for too many people.

Most urgently, we need to fear political leaders that are not afraid of COVID-19. We cannot afford to continue to respond to the health, social, and economic impact of this pandemic in such a careless way. Our future depends on leaders that can acknowledge and swiftly respond to this crisis – let alone the ones that may come next. Protect those around you – especially those most vulnerable – by doing your part to decrease the virus’s spread and the misinformation our President promotes.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Over 208,000 people have lost their lives due to COVID-19, and another 75M have contracted it.
New CDC guidelines warn that the virus can be spread airborne indoors
Despite efforts, there's still a wide range in racial disparities of contracting and surviving from COVID-19
We must continue to acknowledge the growing threat of COVID-19 as we head into fall and towards an upcoming election

RELATED ISSUES

9/16/2020 | Fight for paid sick leave.

9/6/2020 | Protect the aging population from COVID-19.

8/23/2020 | Support those incarcerated and impacted by COVID-19.

8/16/2020 | Think before eating out.

8/9/2020 | Understand the unemployment gap | COVID-19

7/27/2020 | Support Asian Americans through COVID-19.

7/19/2020 | Rally for representation in science and research: COVID-19 and CDC.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 9/16/20 Nicole Cardoza 9/16/20

Fight for paid sick leave.

It's Wednesday!

And we're unpacking the importance of paid sick leave as we head into fall in the midst of a pandemic. Ebony shares more about the importance of paid sick leave, particularly for marginalized communities. Luckily, recent legislation has passed for Philadelphia and California, showing that local advocacy efforts are generating results. Join in by examination paid sick leave legislation in your city and state, and consider how you can encourage the same policies at your workplace.

If you're enjoying these newsletters, consider making a contribution to support our work. You can give one-time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe for $5/mo on our Patreon.

– Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Support the Healthy Families Act by signing this petition, which urges Congress to pass a national sick leave policy.
If you live in a state or city that has enacted a paid sick leave law, know your rights by researching how you are protected as an employee. Use this resource to get started.
Reach out to your local politicians and ask them to create a paid sick leave law for your city/state.

GET EDUCATED

By Ebony Bellamy (she/her)

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise and flu season quickly creeps upon us, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has emphasized that reducing the spread of germs and respiratory illnesses is extremely important this fall and winter (CDC). And the best way to reduce the spread of both is for individuals to stay home when they’re feeling sick. However, this isn’t a luxury many workers have since there is no national sick leave policy in place.

The workers who are most affected by this are people of color and immigrants. For immigrants, only 50% have paid sick days compared to 60% of their native-born counterparts (The Center for Law and Policy). At the same time, more than 7.3 million Black workers can’t earn a single paid sick day (National Partnership for Women and Families). That’s roughly 40% of Black employees, and of those workers, 41% are Black men, and 36% are Black women (National Partnership for Women and Families).

And these numbers are even higher within the Latinx community. Despite them having the “highest labor force participation rate of any racial or ethnic group in the US and the fastest-growing segment of the workforce,” almost 15 million Latinx workers are unable to earn a single paid sick day (National Partnership for Women and Families). This includes 55% of Latinx men and 51% of Latinx women (National Partnership for Women and Families).

With Black and Latinx people primarily being paid less than their white and Asian counterparts, they can’t afford to take a day off. The median weekly earnings, in 2020, for full-time Black workers are $806 and $786 for Latinx workers while full-time white workers earn about $1,018 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Compared to 83% of full-time workers who receive paid sick days, only 43% of part-time workers have paid sick leave (The Center for Law and Policy). With over 4 million people working fewer hours than they’d like and having to work multiple part-time jobs to support themselves and their families, they’re less likely to have guaranteed paid sick leave (The Center for Law and Policy).

Unfortunately, workers with low-wage jobs are more likely to deal with financial burdens. For example, more than 30% of black households have no savings or assets to utilize if a family member unexpectedly loses their job (National Partnership for Women and Families). And as of 2015, more than one in five black families were living in poverty (National Partnership for Women and Families). The same is true for Latinx families. Approximately 27% of Latinx households have no savings or assets to utilize during an unexpected loss of income. As of 2018, more than one in six Latinx families was living in poverty (National Partnership for Women and Families).

For low-income families, missing a few days of work can equate to losing a month’s worth of groceries, missing a rent payment, or not being able to pay a majority of their bills. But, maintaining perfect attendance at work means being able to feed their family, not being homeless, and not going into debt.

A lack of sick leave is extremely devastating to those who also serve as caregivers. Not only are they risking their health, but they’re risking the health of family members since they don’t have time to attend or prioritize medical appointments and emergencies (Essence). One in five Black people act as a caregiver to an adult family member or someone close to them, and 52% of these caregivers work full time (National Partnership for Women and Families). While more than one-quarter of Latinx individuals live in multigenerational households, so about 20% of them are caregivers for loved ones (National Partnership for Women and Families).

People of color need paid sick leave so that they can take care of themselves and their families. Yet, only 13 states and Washington D.C. have enacted laws that require employers to offer paid sick leaves. Depending on the state, you can receive one hour of sick leave for every 30, 35, or 40 hours of work. Some states require more, and those hours equate to three to seven paid sick days (National Conference of State Legislature). Unfortunately, each state has specific guidelines that determine who qualifies for paid sick leave, so do your research because not all employees are covered.

Even though some states have a paid sick leave policy in place, people of color are often reluctant to take advantage of it. A Pew Research study found that 69% of employees took less sick leaves because they couldn’t afford to lose money, while 47% were afraid they would risk losing their job if they asked for a sick day (Essence).

And some people don’t even know paid sick leave is an option for them. About one in five people don’t know if their employers offer any form of paid leave for situations such as routine doctor appointments, minor illnesses, and vacations (Essence). To fix this, employers need to let their employees know paid time off is available to them. They should have their policies posted in highly visible places around the office and ensure it’s written so that employees can understand them, which means posting the sick day policies in various languages (Essence).

To ensure all employees can take advantage of paid sick leave, we need to support the Healthy Families Act. This legislation ensures all American employees can earn up to seven days of paid sick time per year. Employees earn this by gaining an hour of sick leave for every 30 hours they work, and these sick days can be carried over to the next calendar year if they’re not used (The Center for Law and Policy). Sick days can be used for a multitude of reasons such as caring for their own physical or mental illness, caring for an injury or medical condition, obtaining a medical diagnosis, receiving preventive care, and caring for a family member, child, spouse, or loved one (The Center for Law and Policy). Read the National Partnership for Women and Families Fact Sheet to learn more about the Healthy Families Act.

There are over 32 million workers, who can’t earn paid sick leave, and we need to change that. No one should feel forced to choose between their health, their families’ health, and their financial security when they’re feeling sick.

Key Takeaways

Approximately 7.3 million Black workers and 15 million Latinx workers can’t earn a single day of paid sick leave (National Partnership for Women and Families).
People of color make less than their white counterparts, which hinders their ability to take a day off.
83% of full-time workers receive paid sick days, while only 43% of part-time workers have paid sick leave (The Center for Law and Policy).
Only 13 states and Washington D.C. have laws that require employers to offer paid sick leave (National Conference of State Legislature).
69% of employees took less sick leaves because they couldn’t afford to lose money, while 47% were afraid they would risk losing their job if they asked for a sick day (Essence).
The Healthy Families Act is a legislation that aims to create a national paid sick leave policy.

RELATED ISSUES

9/9/2020 | Make the census count.

8/9/2020 | Understand the unemployment gap | COVID-19

7/23/2020 | Know our racist presidential history.

7/21/2020 | Honor the legacy of Rep. John Lewis.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 9/6/20 Nicole Cardoza 9/6/20

Protect the aging population from COVID-19.

Today’s Anti-Racism Daily is inspired by my grandmother, who, unlike me, has been relatively even-keeled with the events of the past few months. It’s not because she, as an African American woman, feels impassive to recent events. She’s just been here before; rallying during the Civil Rights movement, watched her family survive sickness and disease. For her, fighting for justice and overcoming the odds is a daily practice. I think about the challenges she could face as COVID-19 persists, and researched the disproportionate impact of this pandemic on aging communities of color as part of our weekly series. I’d love to know your thoughts.

As always, your support is greatly appreciated. These contributions are our only source of funding and help us pay writers and develop new resources. You can give one-time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe for $5/mo on our Patreon.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Find a local program in your community that's supporting the aging population with groceries, funds and companionship. Here's a list for starters.

Sign up to join the Mon Ami Phone Bank and help seniors isolated by COVID-19.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza

Our country is working to maintain a sense of normalcy as COVID-19 persists. But as we do, we can’t forget about the racial disparities of its impact, especially how these disparities intersect with other marginalized groups. One that is particularly vulnerable is the aging population.

A KHN analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that African Americans ages 65 to 74 are 5x more likely to die from COVID-19 than white people. In the 75-to-84 group, the death rate for Black people was 3.5x greater. Among those 85 and older, Black people died twice as often. In all three age groups, death rates for Hispanics were higher than for whites but lower than for Black people (KHN).

“People are talking about the race disparity in COVID deaths, they're talking about the age disparity, but they're not talking about how race and age disparities interact: They're not talking about older black adults.”

Robert Joseph Taylor, director of the Program for Research on Black Americans at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, for KHN.

Some of the health outcomes for older people of color can be attributed to a lifetime of stress related to racism. People of color have historically endured more stress and anxiety throughout their lives than their white counterparts while navigating racism and discrimination. As a result, we accumulate this tension in our bodies, leading to a wide variety of adverse health implications. This concept is called “weathering,” coined by Arline Geronimus, and can occur from a wide range of stressors, from experiencing police brutality to microaggressions, and everything in between (NPR).

In the scientific community, weathering is identified as “allostatic load,” which measures the substances the body releases after periods of stress. When our bodies are called into “fight or flight” mode, our stress-related neurotransmitters, called catecholamines, quickly release corticotropin, which in turn triggers the release of cortisol, giving our body a jolt of adrenaline to respond to the stressor. Although it can be useful in short situations, the lives of people of color are filled with stress-inducing events. Over time, this allostatic load accumulates. A study that compared the average allostatic loads for Black people and white people found that the mean score for Blacks was roughly comparable to that of Whites who were a full ten years older, demonstrating that people of color age more rapidly than their white peers (Science Direct).

After a lifetime of wear and tear from chronic stress and anxiety, it’s no wonder that aging communities of color are more likely to have pre-existing medical conditions that make them more susceptible to contracting the disease (CDC). Communities of color, particularly Black people, are more likely to have complications like diabetes, chronic kidney disease, obesity, heart failure and pulmonary hypertension (KHN).

But aging communities of color are also more likely to distrust medical care, which means that they're less likely to listen to precautions for contracting COVID-19 and interact with the healthcare system for testing and treatment. And for good reason. As discussed in a previous newsletter, our healthcare system has a legacy of providing inequitable treatment across racial groups. But beyond this, there’s are a series of gross acts of medical violence against communities of color throughout history. These have forced these communities to be wary, disenfranchising them from the care they deserve.

One reason for this is the forced sterilization of communities of color. Over 60,000 women – and some men – were sterilized without their consent across the U.S. between the 1930s and the 1970s (Huffington Post). These people were disproportionately Mexican, and many were Japanese. Similarly, in the 1960s and 1970s, thousands of Native American women were sterilized without consent (NYTimes). In Puerto Rico, nearly one-third of Puerto Rican women of childbearing age were sterilized, the world’s highest rate (University of Wisconsin-Madison). In the U.S., this violence were justified by a Supreme Court decision that actively sought to "breed out" traits that were considered undesirable (NPR). It’s fitting to believe that the medical system may be biased as a result.

In 1932, 600 men were invited to participate in a research study with the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) to find a cure for syphilis. Participants were offered free medical care for their participation – and many participants, sharecroppers who had never had the chance to receive medical care before, signed up eagerly. Throughout their lifetime, men were monitored regularly by health officials and were assured they were being treated. But in reality, they were part of a sick experiment: the PHS was only watching to track the disease’s full progression untreated. The men were told they had “bad blood” but not that they had syphilis. They were only given placebos, like aspirin and mineral supplements, despite the fact that penicillin was widely available as a recommended treatment in 1947 (History). Researchers provided no effective care as the men “died, went blind or insane or experienced other severe health problems” until an outraged researcher leaked the story to the press in 1972, which prompted the study to be shut down. By that time, 28 participants had died from the disease. One hundred more passed away from related complications, at least 40 spouses had been diagnosed with it, and the disease had been passed to 19 children at birth (History).

This study alone is noted as creating deep distrust between Black patients that remember the story from their lifetime. Tuskegee Study alone is responsible for “over a third of the life expectancy gap between older black men and white men in 1980” (The Atlantic).

There’s also a significant percentage of our aging population of color that live in spaces where COVID-19 is rampant. Of the 1.5 million adults currently in state and federal prisons, 12% are over the age of 55, and the majority are people of color, which means that these pre-existing health conditions and distrust of the medical system are facing tight, unsanitary living conditions on top of everything else (JSTOR). But these numbers are rising; our aging. According to a 2012 report from the ACLU, the number of elderly prisoners is expected to double by 2030, calling for a more critical look at protecting our aging population from future pandemics behind bars (JSTOR).

We must invest in protecting the senior communities around us today. And, we need to create more policies and practices that foster a more equitable tomorrow. The U.S. is getting older; by 2035, there’s expected to be more people over the age of 65 than children under the age of 18 (Census). If we can’t count some of the historical biases and disparities that prevent some of us from being well now, there’s no guarantee we can support all of us later.

key takeaways

Aging communities of color are more likely to die from COVID-19 than white communities.
Weathering, or the accumulation of “fight and flight” response of the body because of racism and discrimination, leads to adverse health outcomes for people of color – particularly aging populations.
A series of acts of medical violence throughout history have created a deep distrust of the healthcare system in older communities of color.

8/17/2020 | Fight for equity in remote learning.

8/16/2020 | Think before eating out.

8/9/2020 | Understand the unemployment gap | COVID-19

8/2/2020 | Protect those vulnerable to extreme heat during COVID-19.

7/27/2020 | Support Asian Americans through COVID-19.

7/19/2020 | Rally for representation in science and research: COVID-19 and CDC.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 8/30/20 Nicole Cardoza 8/30/20

Protect housing rights during COVID-19.

The coronavirus pandemic has and continues to wreak havoc on every sector of society, but perhaps the most pressing is the looming housing catastrophe. COVID-19, a virus that spreads through respiratory droplets, can be regulated with social distancing and quarantine measures, but how can it be controlled if millions of people are forced to live on the streets/

Happy Sunday! Each week we share insights on the racial disparities of COVID-19. I didn't think that when I started this newsletter on June 3 that we'd still be in the midst of this global pandemic, but here we are. And as we wait for Congress to pass a new stimulus deal, we need to do whatever we can to support our community in need. Renée joins us today with a critical look at COVID-19 and housing insecurity.

As we continue to cover COVID-19, remember that these disparities in critical infrastructure – like healthcare, education, housing, employment, etc – always existed here in the U.S. COVID-19 didn't create them, just exposed them. Taking action "during COVID-19" is only for emphasis; we should always do our part to help close these critical gaps in our society.

As always, your support is greatly appreciated. You can give one-time on our website, PayPal or via Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). Or, subscribe monthly to our Patreon to contribute regularly.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Tell your Congress representative to take action on housing stability by using this email template.
Support GoFundMe campaigns of people looking for support to pay their rent, particularly if they identify as BIPOC. Search by location to find individuals in need near you.

GET EDUCATED

By Renée Cherez (she/her)

Of the 110 million Americans living in renter households, the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project found that between 19 and 23 million people will be at risk for eviction by September 30th (CEDP). The project was created in response to the pandemic and the housing crisis it exacerbates by pairing legal experts with tenants who need legal advice or legal representation.

With a three-headed monster nearing: flu season, an imminent second-wave of the coronavirus, and colder weather, more must be done by the federal government to keep people safe and healthy in their homes. The primary federal relief bill passed, the CARES Act, established a moratorium on evictions for federally subsidized homes and homes covered by federally backed mortgages like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (Bloomberg). While single-family homeowners with federally funded mortgages will receive reprieve until the end of the year, no additional safety nets have been granted to renters (FHFA).

Unemployment has reached unprecedented numbers in America, making it even more infuriating that people are facing eviction. During the Great Recession of 2008, unemployment peaked at 10.7% over two years. In May, unemployment reached as high as 14.4% (in 3 months) due to COVID-19 (Pew Research).

In July, 32% of U.S. households were unable to make their full housing payments, while 19% missed payment all together (CNBC). At the height of the pandemic, 44.2 million Americans filed for unemployment (Fortune). This past week, one million new unemployment claims were filed, which begs how people can pay their housing costs without a reliable income (CNBC)? Making people choose between feeding their children and paying rent is inhumane.

Unsurprisingly, evictions have a tremendous effect on low-income women, particularly women from Black neighborhoods. A research study in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, found that Black women only make up 9.6% of the population, yet they make up 30% of all evictions. Nationally, 8% of Latinx women and 20% of Black women are evicted each year (Aspen Institute).

In New York City, 70% of housing court cases are by women of color head of households, particularly Black and Latinx women (Aspen Institute). Some of the risk factors contributing to women’s eviction are having children, domestic violence, lower wages, and even the power dynamic between male landlords and female tenants. It’s also not uncommon for landlords to maliciously evict people from their homes knowing their building is indeed covered by a federal moratorium (Washington Post).

Rent burdened, a term used to describe households who pay more than 30% of their income towards rent disproportionately affects people of color (Aspen Institute). Black and Latinx people make up 80% of national evictions (Harvard Law Review). Another study found Black households were twice as likely than white households to be evicted (Harvard Law Review). During the Covid-19 pandemic in Boston, 70% of market-rate evictions were filed in communities of color; however, those areas only make up half of the city’s rental market (Boston Evictions).

During the pandemic’s height, loss of jobs primarily affected people of color at higher rates than their white counterparts. And let’s not forget people with disabilities who notoriously have higher rates of unemployment, LGBTQ+ people who experience homelessness at higher rates, and undocumented immigrants who pay taxes but do not receive unemployment benefits or stimulus assistance (Aspen Institute).

These groups of people will undoubtedly experience the hardships that impending evictions will bring, and in some places, they’ve already begun. Tenants in New Orleans have come to find their belongings lining the sidewalk as federal moratoriums expired on August 24th (WSJ). With courts re-opening virtually, millions of people will be forced out of their homes in the coming weeks without help from the federal government.

In May, the House of Representatives passed the HEROES Act, which would authorize a $100 billion fund relief for housing. Republicans have countered with the HEALS Act, which does not offer any housing relief assistance (CNBC).

Housing advocates and renter activists are pushing for states, cities, and counties to extend moratoriums on evictions to counter the federal government’s lack of action. The National Low Income Housing Coalition is calling for a national uniformed 12-month moratorium on evictions and foreclosures (NLIHC).

In California, Governor Newsom passed a bill that will ban evictions for tenants who’ve been unable to pay their rent citing financial hardship due to the coronavirus; however, they will need to pay at least 25% of their cumulative rent between September 1st and January 31st (KTLA).

Homelessness should not only outrage some but all. If this pandemic has made anything clear, people of color bear the brunt of this crisis on every level. It should also illuminate the areas in which the government we pay with our tax dollars should be far more useful in times of crisis.

Granting housing assistance to people who live in this country, regardless of their identity and sexual orientation is a fundamental human right and should be free of political gymnastics. As the temperature outside changes, there is work to be done for those being punished for no other reason than being poor in a pandemic.

key takeaways

Between 19 and 23 million people will be at risk for eviction by September 30th.
Nationally, 8% of Latina women and 20% of Black women are evicted each year.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition is calling for a national uniformed 12-month moratorium on evictions.

8/17/2020 | Fight for equity in remote learning.

8/16/2020 | Think before eating out.

8/9/2020 | Understand the unemployment gap | COVID-19

8/2/2020 | Protect those vulnerable to extreme heat during COVID-19.

7/27/2020 | Support Asian Americans through COVID-19.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 8/23/20 Nicole Cardoza 8/23/20

Support those incarcerated and impacted by COVID-19.

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Good morning!

Each Sunday we analyze the racial disparities of COVID-19 and how you can help. Today, Renée outlines the crisis happening in prisons and jails across America. As we continue to rally to transform our criminal justice system, we cannot forget about how so many are suffering right here, right now. Read more stories on criminal justice here.

Thank you for everyone that makes this newsletter possible. If you haven't already, consider giving one-time on our website, PayPal, or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). Or, you can contribute monthly on our Patreon.

Nicole

Share | Tweet | Forward

TAKE ACTION

Stay informed with The Marshall Project as it collects data on COVID-19 infections in state and federal prisons. You can view the website here.

Do you know your local or state prison? Are they allowing incarcerated people to make phone calls free of cost? If not, send an email using this template and customize it to your local or state prison.

GET EDUCATED

By Renée Cherez

As COVID-19 began making its way across America in March, the country came to the standstill of the century. Universities and schools closed their doors, nursing homes, and hospitals suspended visitation, restaurants, retail stores, and movie theaters stopped all operations to prevent the spread of this invisible virus.

Public health and safety seemed to be the utmost priority but not for the incarcerated. America's carceral system is disgustingly unique: Holding only 4% of the world's population, the United States imprisons the highest rate (20%) of incarcerated people globally (Prison Policy Initiative).

Prisons and jails are like Petri dishes where bacteria and disease spread rapidly due to close living quarters, limited to no cleaning supplies, overcrowding, and the inability to socially distance. Not only is the COVID-19 death rate of incarcerated people higher than the overall national rate, but the incarcerated are also infected by coronavirus at 5.5 times higher than the overall national rate (JAMA Network).

So far, the country’s highest cluster can be found in California’s San Quentin State Prison, where over 2,600 incarcerated people and staff have been infected, and 26 incarcerated people have died (NYT).

“I am very concerned [...]. There’s no way to social distance. We all eat together. We have a communal bathroom. There’s no way to address a public health issue in an overcrowded facility.”

An incarcerated person at San Quentin State Prison for the NYTimes

In June, Texas began testing every incarcerated person to find that both the incarcerated and staff tested positive quadruples of the number of positive cases to 7,900, resulting in 25 deaths (Prison Policy Initiative). Even more shocking is 60% of the (785 men out of 1,400) incarcerated at Michigan Lakelands Correctional Facility tested positive for the virus (Detroit Metro Times).

Like the general public, at the start of the spread, testing for the virus in prisons and jails was limited. Prisons are now mass testing the incarcerated and staff regardless of their symptoms to help slow the spread of the virus (The Marshall Project).

With over 170,000 coronavirus cases affecting the incarcerated and staff across the country, prison activists are demanding the release of vulnerable populations like the elderly. After decades of extreme sentencing as a result of the “war on drugs” and the “tough on crime” era, a large portion of the incarcerated in state prisons are over fifty-five years old and are more likely to be in poor health (The Marshall Project).

Without access to quality medical care, coupled with the brutal conditions of prison, seniors suffer from chronic health conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and hypertension, all underlying conditions that exacerbate COVID-19 (NCBI).

Family members, lawyers, and advocates have placed calls to prisons to grant early-release to the elderly, and the infirm to prevent more deaths as well as decrease the population. Frustratingly, research shows that out of 668 jails being tracked, 71% of them saw an increase in population from May 1 to June 22, while 84 jails had more people locked away on July 22, then they did in March (Prison Policy Initiative).

There has also been a push for those in jail pre-trial, detained for parole or probation violations, or near the end of their sentences to be granted early release.

“For the most part, states are not even taking the simplest and least controversial steps, like refusing admissions for technical violations of probation and parole rules, and to release those that are already in confinement for those same technical violations. Similarly, other obvious places to start are releasing people nearing the end of their sentence, those who are in minimum-security facilities and on work-release, and those who are medically fragile or older” (Prison Policy Initiative Report).

By the end of August, California could see the early release of 8,000 incarcerated people to slow the spread of the virus (LA Times). The releases will occur for those 30 or older, not serving time for what can be deemed a violent crime under state law and are not involved with domestic violence.

During this crisis, we all share the desire to stay connected with our friends and family. Some prisons and jails have begun allowing visitors. Still, most have not, which can be challenging mentally for the incarcerated as they rely on those visits from family, friends, advocates, and lawyers to keep their morale high (The Marshall Project). Because prisons are also a for-profit business, some are charging for phone and video calls during a time where unemployment numbers are similar to or greater than the Great Depression (The Intercep t).

When we think of vulnerable populations, we must be diligent in keeping the incarcerated in our minds because they are often forgotten. They are real people, with real stories and families, and their health and safety should be prioritized and valued. Society shouldn’t be judged on how they resolve what can be deemed a crime, but rather how they treat those who’ve committed said crime. Incarcerated people deserve our compassion and advocacy too.

Key Takeaways

Incarcerated people are infected by coronavirus at 5.5 times higher than the overall national rate.
Of the 668 jails tracked by the Prison Policy Initiative, 71% of them saw an increase in population from May 1 to June 22 rather than a decrease.
California’s San Quentin State Prison has the largest cluster of COVID-19 cases in America.

7/26/2020 | Pay attention to the Portland protests.

7/20/2020 | Protect your community from the harm of gentrification.

7/6/2020 | Abolish qualified immunity.

7/2/2020 | Remove police from our public schools.

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