A recent article in The Fresno Bee discussed the impact of systemic racism on members of the Latinx community, who continue to contract COVID-19 at disproportionate rates. Factors that make Latinx people more vulnerable to the coronavirus include higher poverty rates, lack of access to health care, more workers in essential jobs, and living in multi-generational households. Recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that Latinx individuals represent 32.7% of new US coronavirus cases, although they are only 18.3% of the US population.
“How we respond to COVID is really a test of our commitment to evening the playing field that has tilted for too long towards those who have power, privilege, and resources.”
- Sarah de Guia, CEO, ChangeLab Solutions
Sarah de Guia, CEO of ChangeLab Solutions, stressed the importance of local policies that eliminate structural racism and eradicate poverty in shaping outcomes for people of color. “How we respond to COVID is really a test of our commitment to evening the playing field that has tilted for too long towards those who have power, privilege, and resources,” she stated. “We really do have the opportunity right now to rewrite those discriminatory laws and policies to address fundamental inequities and improve health for all.”
To learn more about COVID-19 in the Latinx community and Sarah de Guia’s specific policy suggestions, read the full article.
8/6/2020