Systematic Racism and The Coronavirus

 There is a lot to say about how Coronavirus has impacted all of us but what does it mean when we take into account its relationship with systematic racism? First, we have to establish what systematic racism is. "Systematic racism in the U.S. is the normalization and the legalization of an array of dynamics- historical, cultural, institutional and interpersonal- that routinely advantage whites while producing cumulative and chronic and adverse outcomes for people of color." (Rose, 4:05)  This basically in a short term explains how racism is worked into our everyday society sometimes without any of of us even realizing that it can be found in basically everything in the world around us, from school, to housing, employment, income and health care. Also, unfortunately all of these things play into one another.

    But how do these things play into how the world is dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic? It actually plays into a lot as to who gets it, who is at risk and who can receive treatment. "Public health officials say Latinos may be more vulnerable to the virus as a result of the same factors that have put minorities at risk across the country. Many have low paying service jobs that require them to work through the pandemic, interacting with the public." (Jordan and Oppel) This exposes these minorities along with others to the public and also to the virus making it more likely to catch the virus through exposure. They then become more exposed and also can easily spread it to coworkers as well due to the fact that they can't afford to take time off to recover or seek proper medical attention. "A large number also lack access to healthcare, which contributes to higher rates of diabetes and other conditions that can worsen infections." (Jordan and Oppel) The article doesn't mention that with a lack of access to healthcare this leads to other issues as well. If someone who is affected by the virus and catches it they may not have access to appropriate medical care and also working low paying jobs may lead to not being able to afford any sort of medical related expenses especially those related to COVID-19. This unfortunately will lead to overall health issues especially if medical treatment can't be afforded by those in these communities. 

In order to see changes in these issues set forth by structural racism ""We must change the way we inhabit the planet." If we don't Covid-19 wont be the last pandemic we see in our lifetimes. And it may not be the worst" (Smithers). This calls for a change in the way that we are handling things that are going on in regards to the pandemic but also in how we better prepare ourselves for the future. A good part of what is happening is due to the structural racism that is so much built into the culture that is today. There needs to be reform in this so that way everyone has equal opportunity, weather they choose to or not,  to protect themselves in any way possible, even if that means to quit a job or take a leave  of absence, and also not have to worry about any sort of financial hardship that it may bring. Also, healthcare and medical related expenses shouldn't be a worry for anyone either. The option of seeking medical care should be equally available to anyone who may need it without feeling like they can't get help because the cost is way too much for them to be able to afford. Overall, this pandemic has affected everyone and still is affecting a lot of people. However, there are people who are suffering more and struggling more than others and a lot of that can be seen as coming from the structural racism that has been incorporated into society.