While people go around using “Black Lives Matter” as a slogan, many of the things taking place around us don’t reflect it. Black people are the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic by nearly every measure – but to make things worse, we’re also being TARGETED by racists!
Pew Research Center found Black people were among the most likely to experience racial tension since the pandemic began. While the timing coincides with uprisings and protests in response to the racist police killing of George Floyd, there’s also another troubling reason we’re feeling tense.
Hate crimes reached a 16-year high in 2018, according to the FBI. The racial tensions Black people have experienced were already building, and it’s getting worse under COVID-19!
Black people and Asian-Americans have experienced heightened discrimination due to the pandemic. But that’s not all.
We’re also scapegoated and blamed for the pandemic. We’re dying at disproportionate numbers because of racism, not because we’re doing something wrong. That’s not our fault, but we can fight.
Massive unemployment, food shortages, a housing crisis, and police brutality are just a few of the issues we’re facing. They aren’t new – these issues are embedded in the institutional racism we’ve worked to overturn for years. This isn’t a time to stop organizing. It’s time to keep going!