Even as the federal government was downplaying
COVID, behind the scenes there were organizations,
including the American Medical Association,
the American Academy of Pediatrics, the NAACP,
different lawyers’ groups, and even politicians,
were knowing that these racial disparities
that exist in the United States that make
Black people more vulnerable to serious illnesses
— and other people of color — existed
and were going to intersect with COVID in
the worst kind of way.
And so, Black people are more likely to have
the kinds of underlying conditions that make
COVID more serious.
And that just is a fact.
And so, when COVID came, it was what some
people have called the perfect storm of terribleness,
with people already with underlying conditions
being hit with this really serious, confusing
virus.
And can you talk about the distrust that African
Americans have of the healthcare system, and
the historical context for that?
So, we’ve known for, I mean, centuries,
decades, years, that Black people and other
people of color are treated unfairly in our
current medical system.
And how I think of it is, I don’t think
doctors and other healthcare providers go
into medicine in order to do harm, but it
happens because of mostly unconscious bias.
And so, it’s been very well documented that
Black people and other people of color, but
specifically Black people, have unfair treatment,
whether it’s in pain management, whether
it’s — and it’s in the emergency room.
It’s when getting C-sections during birth.
It’s all kinds of different treatments where
Black people just aren’t treated well.
So, if there’s a distrust among Black people
of the healthcare system, it’s real, and
it’s evidence-based that there is a problem,
that people should be distrustful.
And —
Speaking of history, I wanted to go to Nikole
Hannah-Jones, who just won a Pulitzer Prize
for her lead essay for The New York Times’
1619 Project.
She spoke to MTV last month about the racial
disparities in COVID-related deaths.
What we’re starting to see as we learn that
Black people are disproportionately dying
from this is this blaming of Black communities
and saying that, “Well, that’s just because
Black people don’t take care of themselves.
Black people don’t take care of their health.”
The truth is that Black people are living
in a constructed environment that is designed
to actually produce exactly the disparities
that we see.
It is not accidental that Black people are
the most likely to live near toxic sites,
the most likely to live in polluted neighborhoods,
the most likely to live in areas where there
is a lot of highway and freeway traffic.
And so, what that means is Black people have
been intentionally placed in the most vulnerable
positions.
That was Nikole Hannah-Jones.
Linda Villarosa, you were a contributor to
the acclaimed 1619 Project with an essay titled
“Myths about physical racial differences
were used to justify slavery — and are still
believed by doctors today.”
As we wrap up, if you could comment on the
significance of The 1619 Project, that you
were a part of, and also not only the Pulitzer
going to Nikole Hannah-Jones, but to Ida B.
Wells, as well, in a special citation and
award for her outstanding and courageous reporting
on the horrific and vicious violence against
African Americans during the era of lynching?
If you can take us full circle?
Well, first of all, we are so proud of Nikole,
and I was honored to be part of that project.
And I think that it speaks to the power of
Black women journalists, Nikole and Ida B.
Wells, and I’m really proud to be a part
of that group.
I think that what 1619 did, the project, was
take us back and look at the legacy of enslavement.
And, you know, there’s always people saying,
“Oh, slavery was so long ago.
That’s not part of our experience.”
But it is.
And our charge was to prove that what happened
during enslavement still lingers today.
