Global pandemic or not, Black people experience mortality, wealth, housing, education, the criminal justice system, and pretty much every other American institution or system with disproportionately worse results than everyone else. And as a few of the featured writers in the syllabus remind us: “When America catches a cold, Black folks catch pneumonia”.
When it comes to COVID-19, the public response directly blamed Black people for the outcomes, claiming it was our ignorance or unwillingness to adhere to social distancing recommendations that was the problem. Blame also came from those who meant well. These criticisms typically acknowledge that structural issues are the root cause of health disparities in Black communities but then follow with a lecture about personal responsibility. An excellent example of this approach is the recent speech on Black health outcomes given by Surgeon General Jerome Adams.
That’s why ill-timed and presumptive statements by media talking heads concerning how COVID-19 would decimate Black America completely perplexed me, but not entirely You see, because of our unique social position, Black folks have a second sight through which they assess America. The term for this perspective, characterized by the simultaneous and compounding nature of oppressions is intersectionality. A concept exemplified in the work of trailblazing Black feminists of the Combahee River Collective in 1977 and re-popularized by scholar Kimberle Crenshaw. Intersectionalityis a powerful tool for analyzing contemporary Black struggles.
Black folks are also privy to a type of introspection informed by our class position. Largely considered a forefather of American Sociology and probably one of the most educated individuals this nation has ever produced, W.E.B DuBois,coined this phenomena double-consciousness. To put into layman's terms: “I see how you see me, so imma make sure you see what I want you to see”. Scholar and media personality Melissa Harris Perry built on this concept with the crooked room theory. A means of analyzing social issues with precision using Black feminist ideology to identify the particular ways Black women are viewed by society and how they see themselves.
So then what do you do when structural powers gaslight and stall while waiting for more data? We do what we always do: analyze, organize, and act.
As I began compiling research on how the COVID-19 impacted African Americans, I realized immediately this needed to be widely shared. Yes, nerds like me will find these articles but that’s like preaching to the choir. How can this critical information reach regular everyday Black folks l including family members, fraternity brothers, and friends in a way that’s accessible and digestible?
The syllabus was curated to provide current and accurate information about the specific and unique effects of COVID-19 on the Black community. I wanted to design an accessible guide for those interested in the various ways this worldwide pandemic is racially experienced in the US.
The typical coverage on this issue falls into two categories, the individual health challenges African Americans face and the structural barriers to adequate healthcare Blacks endure on a daily basis. : While both approaches are equally important, something which moves the discussion between a simple diagnosis of the problem is needed. To think more clearly about the challenges African Americans, face, we must move from diagnosis to praxis. Praxis is the space where theory meets action.
The voices in this syllabus don’t just tell you the “what”, they give you the “why” and “how”. They examine the root causes of the current racial pandemic through various lenses providing the reader with a holistic viewpoint of this problem.
From activist Brittany Packnett Cunningham to Professors Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Dr. Rashawn Ray and journalists Van Newkirk II and Derek Thompson, these voices reminded me that the unsettling feeling we were on the verge of another racial disaster was right. These writers speak truth in the face of relentless pressure to bend to the whims of neoliberal concessions.
You see, as Audre Lorde taught us, the personal is and will always be political. I hope that people are inspired to learn more about the various ways in which racial justice and racial outcomes are synonymous. I want people to share with their classrooms and relatives, to have family discussions about why the “most sophisticated nation in the world” allows these disparities to continue. I want people to have such a thorough understanding of why this issue exists that they are moved to action. To volunteer their time helping those in need, to give to organizations that are directly impacting lives, and to advocate for public policy that centers the most marginalized in our society.
Over the past few weeks we have seen extraordinary measures taken by the federal government and state and local governments to ease the suffering caused by COVID-19. Legislation previously deemed unthinkable and impossible has somehow become the norm: Wall Street has received yet another bailout. Nationwide shelter in place and social distancing measures have been enacted to flatten the curve and prevent the spread of the virus.’ Most Americans have received government funded stimulus checks to ease the financial burden. Well, if impossible is the new norm then as James Baldwin said it is time to remind everyone that “the impossible is the least that one can demand.”
I love Black people. This is a work of love.
COVID-19 AND BLACK FOLK: A SYLLABUS (CLICK TO SEE THE SYLLABUS)
Tre Watkins is a writer, educator and speaker who is dedicated to community building and doing "good work." A native of San Diego, Tre is a dedicated Husband, Father, Son, and taco connoisseur. For more information about his syllabus, please follow him on Twitter @TreMoney247.