COVID-19 and Race
What makes you most vulnerable to COVID-19? Age, pre-existing conditions, and ever-changing CDC guidelines. What about your race? As it’s becoming increasingly clear that more Black, Latinx, and people of color are contracting COVID-19, this Exploration Guide for students in high school examines the pandemic by first looking at how institutional racism shapes our health and our lives.
This list was created originally created in August 2020 and updated in November 2021. Please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus for the most recent public health guidelines.
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Covid-19 and Race
This interactive slideshow includes all of the links and reflections for this Exploration Guide. Please start here. The links below are pulled from the presentation in case you are not able to access the slideshow.
View Covid-19 and Race -
Above the Noise: Coronavirus and Racism in America, with W. Kamau Bell | PBS
What reasons did the video outline for why COVID has had a disproportionate effect on Black communities in particular? Put yourself in the position of one of the student reporters in the video. What patterns have you noticed or what questions do you have about COVID-19 and race? Can you think of any other ways that institutional racism might affect a Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color’s (BIPOC) outcome if they contracted COVID?
View Above the Noise: Coronavirus and Racism in America, with W. Kamau Bell | PBS -
Why Racism, Not Race, Is a Risk Factor for Dying of COVID-19 | Scientific American
Why is racism a public health emergency? Consider how institutional racism can seep into nearly every aspect of our lives: housing, food access, transportation, etc... Can you draw the link between having less access to education and having a higher vulnerability to COVID-19?
View Why Racism, Not Race, Is a Risk Factor for Dying of COVID-19 | Scientific American -
The Fullest Look Yet at the Racial Inequity of Coronavirus | New York Times
Across the country, Black, Indigenous, and Latinx folks are most likely to get COVID-19 in numbers that can't be explained by underlying health conditions. Who do you think is more likely to get sick from COVID-19, someone who works a frontline job (like grocery worker or waiter) or someone who can work from home? How does this intersect with race?
View The Fullest Look Yet at the Racial Inequity of Coronavirus | New York Times -
What Do Coronavirus Racial Disparities Look Like State By State? NPR
Exercise: Use this link to look over maps of COVID-19 Data. Pick a few states, and compare the difference. If data is how we can visualize the virus, what does it mean when state and local governments refuse to collect detailed information about COVID-19? How can we help the most vulnerable without knowing who is getting sick?
View What Do Coronavirus Racial Disparities Look Like State By State? NPR -
7 Organizations That Support Black Wellness
Please take a moment to sit with the information you just looked at. These numbers--this disparity--represent real people and communities. If you are part of one of these communities, please take a minute to stretch and care for yourself. This link has additional resources. If you are not part of one of these communities, think about how it would feel to see so many of your acquaintances, friends, and family members sick.
View 7 Organizations That Support Black Wellness -
'I Will Not Stand Silent.' 10 Asian Americans Reflect on Racism During the Pandemic and the Need for Equality | Time Magazine
COVID-19 has far-reaching impacts. In this article, 10 Asian Americans share their experience as the targets of COVID-19 related racism, while highlighting how important it is to support Black communities who are dealing with both COVID and police violence at the same time.
View 'I Will Not Stand Silent.' 10 Asian Americans Reflect on Racism During the Pandemic and the Need for Equality | Time Magazine -
Teen Girl Activists On Pandemic Life — From New Plans To 'Phone Detox' : Goats and Soda : NPR
For the teens you see here (and many more), the pandemic has worsened the problems against which they are passionately fighting, such as racism and health inequity. But that has only made them more determined to speak up. How has the pandemic affected you? Has it influenced your commitment to issues you care about? Can you think of ways to fight racism while quarantined?
View Teen Girl Activists On Pandemic Life — From New Plans To 'Phone Detox' : Goats and Soda : NPR -
S6E14: COVID's Economic Devastation on Tribal Lands - Gaby Dunn | Podcast on Spotify
Fast forward to 8 minutes and listen until about 15 minutes. Did anything about this discussion surprise you? What unique struggles are tribes facing in the fight against COVID?
View S6E14: COVID's Economic Devastation on Tribal Lands - Gaby Dunn | Podcast on Spotify -
A Hospital’s Secret Coronavirus Policy Separated Native American Mothers From Their Newborns | ProPublica
Name the ways that Lovelace Hospital’s zipcode policy is racist and perpetuates long term harm. If you were an Indigenous woman, would you be able to trust the hospital after this? If you were the hospital, what steps would you need to take to start repairing trust? Can you make any connections between this policy and ways that Indigenous people have historically been treated in this country?
View A Hospital’s Secret Coronavirus Policy Separated Native American Mothers From Their Newborns | ProPublica