Commentary
COVID-19 and Black People
It is often stated in the Black community: “when the country gets a cold, we get pneumonia.”
The genesis of this saying is unclear, but the inference is not, nor is it inaccurate. Black people suffer more from adverse medical conditions, with poorer outcomes. COVID-19, the disease process caused by infection from the pandemic virus SARS-CoV-2 will likely demonstrate its accuracy. We also hare starting from behind being poorer and with less access to basic resources. Pneumonia is more likely than just a cold.
At present, the CDC has noted that those with chronic lung disease, moderate to severe asthma, serious heart conditions, those immunocompromised including cancer treatment, severely obese, diabetic, with renal failure, or liver disease are at higher risk for severe illness. That warning should be clearly heard by the African American community. We are 2.2 times more likely to have diabetes, 20% more likely to have high blood pressure, and 30% more likely to be obese. The incidence of COPD (lung disease) in our women is 34% higher than in white women. Bottom line, if we acquire the virus, bad things are more likely to happen. That’s pass number one.
Let us layer onto that more baggage. It is now known that the social determinants of health (SDoH) play as important a role in a person’s health as genetics or medical treatment. There are, broadly, six SDoH categories: economic stability, physical environment, education, food community and social content and health care systems. Blacks are adversely affected in this arena. For example, with poorer housing we cannot generally socially isolate at home each in a different wing of the house; we may have 6 people in a 2-bedroom apartment. Searching for healthy food or using the bus to get to work (if you have a job and going to work), puts one at higher risk of acquiring the infection. Add the health risk factors above and we see a potential recipe for disaster.
I will separate one out the above-noted SDoHs: economic stability, (or lack thereof). Quoting from a Brookings Institute study, “at $171,000, the net worth of a typical white family is nearly ten times greater than that of a Black family in 2016. Gaps in wealth between Black and White households reveal the effects of accumulated inequality and discrimination, as well as differences in power and opportunity that can be traced back to this nation’s inception. The Black-White wealth gap reflects a society that has not and does not afford equality of opportunity to all its citizens.” Allow an addendum; The Black-White HEALTH gap reflects a society that has not and does not afford equality of opportunity to all its citizens.
So how will we know if this is borne out in the COVID-19 pandemic? Only by data, and this we do not have, nor a plan for to get it. Democratic lawmakers noted an apparent lack of racial data that they say is needed to monitor and address disparities in the national response to the coronavirus outbreak. In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, two lawmakers said comprehensive demographic data on people who are tested or treated for the virus that causes COVID-19 does not exist. U.S. cities with large black and brown populations such as Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee and New Orleans have emerged as hot spots of the coronavirus outbreak. “This lack of information will exacerbate existing health disparities and result in the loss of lives in vulnerable communities,” the letter warned.
So here we are. Blacks are at higher risk of complications from CPOVID-19. Blacks are theoretically more prone to acquire COVID-19, and if we are disproportionately affected we don’t even know. Where does all of this leave us? With pneumonia.
Commentary
Commentary: May Is Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month
AANHPI is not a social term; it’s purely political, a Frankenstein acronym that reeks of inclusion, and yet there’s so much more of us we don’t see in the name. In fact, the top three groups are Chinese, Indian and Filipino. We’re “Chindipinos.” It makes AANHPI more like a prompt to make sure we don’t forget the incredible potential of our large, diverse community.
By Emil Guillermo
AANHPI is not a social term; it’s purely political, a Frankenstein acronym that reeks of inclusion, and yet there’s so much more of us we don’t see in the name. In fact, the top three groups are Chinese, Indian and Filipino. We’re “Chindipinos.”
It makes AANHPI more like a prompt to make sure we don’t forget the incredible potential of our large, diverse community.
Across the United States, we’re more than 25 million strong. As I like to point out, it really should include West Asians, like Arab Americans, at around 5 million people. That would boost the group to around 30 million- plus.
How can U.S. policy makers ignore a coalition of 30 million people that have all of Asia as their common ground? They can’t.
Unless we don’t vote.
THE AANHPI POWER YEAR
Around 15 million Asian Americans are projected to be eligible to vote in 2024. This is an increase of 15% from 2020, according to the Pew Research Center. That’s a larger projected increase than for Hispanics (12%) and Blacks (7%).
A lot of talk this year has centered so far on Black and Hispanic voters defecting from the Democrats in 2024. There’s hardly any talk about the Asian American vote. But any change there could be significant.
Seventy-two percent of English-speaking, single race, non-Hispanic Asian voters went for Joe Biden in 2020 vs. 28% who voted for Donald Trump, according to Pew.
Will we see Asian Americans continue to show up for Biden at the 72%level, or will that number erode?
Hopefully, Biden’s Asian American numbers may go higher if the Republican voters in our broad community (around 30%) understand what’s at stake and abandon Trump.
The list of Biden White House initiatives to help Asian Americans is long.
On the other hand, think about how Donald Trump treated his lone Asian American cabinet member, Elaine Chao, and see if that isn’t reason alone for MAGA-AANHPIs to dump Trump, the indicted one.
Here are some other key things about Asian American eligible voters that are worth noting.
We’re 6% of the electorate, which means as a bloc, it has the potential to be a real swing vote.
When you see poll numbers at a dead heat with the margin of error at 3-5%, imagine Asian Americans making up the difference to provide a margin of victory.
That’s how critical our vote is.
Gender-wise, the demographic breakdown is also significant: 53% women and 47% men. Which party has women’s best interests at heart?
By age, 22% of us are 18-29 years old. The biggest demo is 30-49 at 36%. Add ages 50-64 at 23%, and the core 30-64 working age demo is almost 60% of our community.
The majority of us are also naturalized citizens, 56%, vs. U.S born at 44%.
For me this is always where I see some of the biggest fissures within our community. Who was pushing for affirmative action and who was against? Naturalized citizens, immigrants generally led the fight against affirmative action. It remains a flash point. Might it also define a new dividing line between Asian American red and blue?
So, this month, AANHPI Heritage Month, take the time to notice and get to know us better.
About the Author
Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator, and was the first Filipino to host a national news program while at NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Contact him at www.amok.com.
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Oakland Post: Week of May 15 – 21, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May May 15 – 21, 2024
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