Cities like Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, and New Orleans are all reporting over 70% of their respective COVID-19 deaths being among black people, with similar trends extending through the states at-large. In New York City, which boasts the most cases in the country, Blacks and Latinos are dying at twice the rate of white people and five to six times more than their respective population percentages. This time last week St. Louis was reporting that 100% of its known COVID-19 deaths are among African Americans.
The Social Implications of a Medical Crisis
The social determinants of health are the structural determinants and conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, and includes one’s neighborhood and built environment, economic stability, social and community context, health and healthcare, and education. The social determinants of COVID-19 are on full display here in the United States and the … Continue reading The Social Implications of a Medical Crisis
#FlattenTheCurve
The phrase “flatten the curve” has been thrown around a lot as it relates to social distancing during the coronapocalypse. But what does that actually mean? Many believe that social distancing has been implemented to keep us from getting sick — and that’s half true. The full truth is that we’re social distancing to flatten … Continue reading #FlattenTheCurve
The Pro-Life Movement was Born from Racism
Abortion is healthcare! Yet in 2019 alone, Utah, Ohio, Kentucky, Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia, Alabama and Missouri have passed the most restrictive abortion laws in history with Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas in the queue. And it’s only May. White conservative evangelical christian men in red state legislatures are proposing and passing these unconstitutional abortion bills on … Continue reading The Pro-Life Movement was Born from Racism
It’s Not Looking Good for Jussie Smollett
1. His story never added up (ever), but I believe victims and knowing Jussie and what he has historically stood for I gave him the benefit of doubt.
2. We can hold Jussie accountable and still be allies to the causes he champions and the marginalized identities he represents.
3. Hate crimes against people of color and LGBTQIA+ are at an all time high in the era of MAGA; that fact doesn’t change because of one man’s possible abuse of that fact.
4. The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is corrupt, especially when it comes to black men; yes. But this corruption usually rears its ugly head when CPD is implicated in the crime. CPD didnt gain anything by falsifying information in this case where police were not involved in the attack. Sometimes people are just in the wrong. This will be on Jussie and Jussie alone if he is found guilty.
5. CPD (and police everywhere) should keep this same energy when white people call 911 and file false reports on unsuspecting black people just existing while black.
6. CPD should also dedicate these same resources (more than 20 detectives) to solving the more than 80% of unsolved murders in Chicago.
7. Not to play armchair shrink, but if Jussie’s injuries allegedly sustained during the attacked were instead self-inflicted as is being reported, Jussie needs a psych evaluation.
8. Even if those reports are unfounded, Jussie still might need a psych eval just because…
9. If the evidence against Jussie is too much to mount a successful defense, he’ll probably plead down to a lesser misdemeanor charge and get probation, but he’s going to have to pay some restitution to the City of Chicago.
10. White celebrities do stupid stuff like this all the time (see Ryan Lochte) and we celebrate them years later at the Oscars like it never happened. We also don’t jail them. Jussie is black and queer; he won’t enjoy that same kind of grace, but I hope he gets right with himself and comes back stronger than ever.
R Kelly and Our Failure to Protect Black Girls
On Thursday, January 3rd the 6 episode docu-series “Surviving R Kelly” aired on Lifetime, chronicling the embattled singer’s history of sexual abuse, particularly against underaged black girls. The day after, the internet is ablaze with disgust and shame toward the self-proclaimed “Pied Piper of R&B”, with declarations to never support or listen to Kelly’s music again. What took so long? I grew up listening to the over-sexualized lyrics by R Kelly at the … Continue reading R Kelly and Our Failure to Protect Black Girls