Overview

      This exhibit uncovers the disproportionate effects of Covid-19 on various Communities of Color. Communities of Color took on the brunt of the Pandemic, from higher rates of hospitalization and death to a notable increase in hate-crimes towards certain ethnic groups. My exhibit focuses on the higher rates of disease in Black communities, the rise in Asian American hate crimes, and the impact of Covid-19 on Indigenous Communities within the U.S. When it comes to Asian American hate-crimes, several key politicians, including the president, made offensive remarks associated with the rise in Asian American hate-crimes. Finally, my exhibit dives into the U.S. government responses to these rising health disparities in the wake of the Pandemic.

      To begin, the first page of my exhibit is on the disproportionate effects of Covid-19 on African American communities. I chose the first item on this page because it displayed the devastating impact of Covid-19 on African Americans in 4 states, and one major city. This item is crucial because it helps the audience to visualize the disproportionate share of Covid-19 deaths of African Americans compared to their share of the population. The second item on this page displays a mother and daughter holding the picture of their deceased family member, Reginald Relf. According to the New York Times, Relf visited a doctor after fighting a hoarse cough during the Pandemic yet was sent home without being tested (Eligon and Burch, 2020). Unfortunately, a week later he was found dead due to Covid-19. This is not a sole incident where Black patients in the USA were sent home without treatment. I chose this item because it humanizes these statistics. In other words, it displays that African American lives are more than numbers on a chart, the consequences of this pandemic touch real families. Also, the story of this family draws attention to the concern about treatment of Black patients compared to white patients in healthcare. According to NPR, racial biases still infiltrate the US healthcare system, resulting in Black patients often being dismissed and left undertreated (Zaragovia, 2021). Reginald Relf was dismissed and left untreated, which had deathly consequences. Finally, I chose the last item on this page because it displays a seemingly distressed Black Health Care Worker. The Harvard Business Review notes that many African Americans were inspired to enter the world of healthcare to help those who faced barriers, such as inaccessible health care, therefore, they often find employment in low-income, urban areas (Wingfield, 2020). This means that they are often at the forefront of areas where patients lack primary care doctors. Therefore, this image displays the toll that the Pandemic placed specifically on African American healthcare workers. Essentially, the toll on African American communities due to Covid-19 is prominent, and systemic racism seems to play a major role. Tying this concept back to class, "From Savage to Negro," goes into depth into how racism is built into the United States; or systemic and institutionalized. For instance, Jim Crow laws disenfranchised African Americans and literally put the notion of Black racial inferiority into the constituion (Baker, 1998). While Jim Crow laws are no longer legal, there aftermath continue in the daily life for African Americans. Or more specifically, laws and policies used to disenfranchise African Americans in the past directly influence the health disparities seen during the Pandemic in the present. 

      Furthermore, my next page dives into the rise in Asian-American hate-crimes during the Pandemic. My first item displays a data set that includes the types of Asian-American discrimination that have been reported, which range from verbal harassment to workplace discrimination/refusal of service. Overall, from March 2020 to December 2020, the most common form of this discrimination was verbal harassment (Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center, 2020). I chose this item because it displays that hate-crimes towards Asian Americans did not have to manifest physically. The next item I chose displays that in 15 of the largest U.S. cities, anti-Asian hate crimes increased from 49 to 122, from 2019 to 2020, while overall hate crimes decreased from 1,845 to 1,717 (Buchholz and Richter, 2021). I chose this item because it provides perspective into this phenomenon. It must be noted that this only includes hate-crimes reported to the police. Most likely, a large amount of Asian American hate-crimes were left unreported. The final item on this page displays a group of protestors with signs “#Stop Asian Hate” and “Justice for Vicha.” I chose this item specifically because of the sign referencing Vichar Ratanapakdee. According to CNN, Vichar, or Vicha, was an 84-year-old Thai immigrant, and victim of a hate-crime in San Francisco that killed him (Lah and Kravarik, 2021). This event not only negatively impacted the family of Vichar, but also the wider community which came out to protest this situation and similar ones. Also, it draws attention to the fact that Asian Americans of all ethnicities are targeted, not only Chinese Americans. Relating back to a key concept from class, the reading “Anti-Asian Racism and Covid-19” by Jennifer Ho (2020) comes to mind. Specifically, Ho notes that the Association for Asian American Studies acknowledges the rise of anti-Asian harassment occurring in the wake of the pandemic, especially towards those who appear East-Asian (Ho, 2020). Throughout this key reading, Ho demonstrates the historical connotations related to these hate-crimes and the direct consequences during the Pandemic.

      Moreover, my third page of the exhibit dives a bit further into Asian American hate-crimes, keying in on the harmful rhetoric implored by former President Trump, and the Republican Politician, Kevin McCarthy. I chose the first item because Donald Trump played a major role in encouraging stereotypes and the “out-group” notion when it came to Asian Americans during the pandemic. In fact, one study disclosed that hate crimes towards Asian Americans increased, in the short-term, after March 16, 2020 (Han et. al., 2023). It is not merely a coincidence that Trump tweeted this out on March 16th. For my next item, I chose a screenshot of McCarthy’s tweet referencing Covid-19 as the “Chinese Coronavirus” and directing citizens to CDC.gov (McCarthy, 2020). Ironically, the Washington Post notes that the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, came out and denounced attaching the word “Chinese” to Covid-19 (Itkowitz, 2020). Therefore, McCarthy was directing Americans to an unbiased, credible resource, while simultaneously perpetuating this extremely biased notion. Finally, I chose the last item because it amplifies the voice of an Asian American politician. Congresswoman Grace Meng, of New York, called out Kevin McCarthy for this harmful rhetoric. Her words, "lives are at stake" (Meng, 2020) couldn't be truer. This item was crucial for this page because it would be counterproductive to solely include the (offensive) remarks of white Politicians, while leaving out the voices of actual Asian-Americans.

      On my fourth page of the exhibit, I focus on the impact of Covid-19 on Indigenous Communities within the U.S. First off, it must be noted that the phrase “Indigenous communities” is an extremely broad statement. Native American communities do not have a single, homogenic presentation; there are hundreds of unique tribes. My first item displays the impact of Covid-19 on American Indian and Alaska Native people in certain states. The most drastic example is in New Mexico, where there was a difference of 48% between percent of total population and percent of cases (Artiga and Orgera, 2020). I chose this item because, yet again, it helps readers to visualize these severe impacts on Native communities. Moreover, my second item displays that American Indian or Alaska Natives have a 5.3 times higher chance of hospitalization due to Covid-19, compared to non-Hispanic Whites (CDC, 2020). Out of all the statistics on this infographic, this is the largest number, and thus incredibly significant. I chose this item because it includes comparisons of 4 minority groups to White, non-Hispanic persons, which helps display the big picture. Finally, my third item humanizes these statistics, by showing an Indigenous couple being buried together in North Dakota, after departing from Covid-19. Again, these are not numbers in an infographic; they are real people. Furthermore, history has very real implications for Native Americans. For instance, the systematic removal of Natives from their ancestral homelands, from the 1820s to 1830s (Solomon et. al., 2022), is one historical phenomenon connected to the current inequities facing the Native community. It can be inferred that forced removal and placement in reservations contributed to poor infrastructure, among other things, that became barriers during the Pandemic. Tying this page back to key class concepts, the podcast, “Beyond Blood Quantum,” discussed the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which forced Indigenous people to move from their ancestral lands to reservations. Ever since the colonization of the United States, policies have worked to disenfranchise Natives. History has direct implications for the present, especially the Pandemic, that cannot be ignored.

      Finally, my last page of the exhibit discusses a few government responses to the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on Communities of Color. My first item displays Governor Whitmer, alongside Lieutenant Gilchrist II. I chose this item because Whitmer created the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities, with Lieutenant Gilchrist II as the Chairperson (Executive Order No. 2020-55, 2020). This item was important because Whitmer created this taskforce prior to President Biden creating a similar task force, displaying her immediate efforts to respond to the crisis. Next, the second item displays an image of a conference with a video of the Covid-19 Health Equity Task Force Chair, Dr. Nunez-Smith, playing. According to Yale News, Dr. Nunez-Smith is the founding director of the Equity Research and Innovation Center at Yale School of Medicine (Belli, 2020) making her a great choice for Chair. The last item on this page displays a long line of African Americans waiting in line for Covid-19 resources, such as masks and food (Ollove and Vestal, 2020). I chose this item because as stated earlier, African Americans were disproportionately impacted by Covid-19, and this is exactly one of the reasons task forces devoted to health equity needed to be created.

            To conclude, I have learned a wide array of information concerning Covid-19 impacts on People of Color. To begin, personally, I learned that it is incredibly important to be an advocate for POC in relation to the Pandemic, especially regarding access to healthcare. Advocating for communities involves empowerment, as opposed to patronizing individuals. Moreover, academically, I learned about the government responses related to Covid-19 racial disparities. Specifically, I knew nothing about the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities or the Covid-19 Health Equity Task Force. Moreover, I learned about Biden’s efforts devoted to combating these inequities. For instance, the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act and the executive action banning offensive phrases, like “Chinese Coronavirus” in the federal government. This research related directly to concepts from class; from systemic racism to anti-Asian racism, to U.S. policies targeting Indigenous communities. Overall, I am thankful I was able to dive deeper into this topic and relate it back to class in various ways.

References

Artiga, S., & Orgera , K. (2020, May 14). Covid-19 presents significant risks for American Indian and Alaska native people. Kaiser Family Foundation . Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/covid-19-presents-significant-risks-for-american-indian-and-alaska-native-people/

Baker, L. D. (1998). From Savage to negro: Anthropology and the construction of race, 1896-1954. University of California Press.

Belli, B. (2020, December 8). Nunez-Smith to lead Biden Health Equity Task Force. YaleNews. Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://news.yale.edu/2020/12/08/nunez-smith-lead-biden-health-equity-task-force

Buchholz, K., & Richter, F. (2021, March 17). Infographic: Anti-Asian hate crime in U.S. rises during pandemic year. Statista Infographics. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://www.statista.com/chart/24442/anti-asian-hate-crime/

Cabral , S. (2021, May 21). Covid 'hate crimes' against Asian Americans on rise. BBC News. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56218684

Eligon, J., & Burch, A. D. S. (2020, May 20). Questions of bias in COVID-19 treatment add to the mourning for black families. The New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/10/us/coronavirus-african-americans-bias.html

Executive Order No. 2020-55. (2020). Executive Order 2020-55: Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities

George, C. (2020, September 8). Texas studying covid-19's uneven impact on communities of color. TMC News. Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://www.tmc.edu/news/2020/09/texas-studying-covid-19s-uneven-impact-on-communities-of-color/

Han, S., Riddell, J. R., & Piquero, A. R. (2022). Anti-Asian American hate crimes Spike during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(3-4), 3513–3533. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221107056

Ho , J. (2020, July 16). Anti-asian racism and covid-19. Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine. Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2020/04/08/anti-asian-racism-and-covid-19

Itkowitz, C. (2020, March 10). CDC director rejects label 'Chinese virus' after Trump, mccarthy tweets. The Washington Post. Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/cdc-director-rejects-label-chinese-virus-after-trump-mccarthy-tweets/2020/03/10/58bd086c-62e5-11ea-b3fc-7841686c5c57_story.html

Lah, K., & Kravarik, J. (2021, February 16). Family of Thai immigrant, 84, says fatal attack 'was driven by hate'. CNN. Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/16/us/san-francisco-vicha-ratanapakdee-asian-american-attacks/index.html

McCarthy, K. (2020, March 9). Everything you need to know about the Chinese coronavirus can be found on one, regularly-updated website: Https://t.co/ngccdvqcqe. Twitter. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://twitter.com/speakermccarthy/status/1237165063565447168?s=46&t=0VVKVdDaEYFvf0DErdCWqA

Meng, G. (2020, March 10). Your words are so hurtful. we may be of different parties but people depend on all of us to be compassionate & effective leaders. Asian Americans - from kids to seniors are getting attacked BC of this exact type of rhetoric. do better - please - I implore you. lives are at stake. Twitter. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://twitter.com/grace4ny/status/1237212114735058944?s=46&t=0VVKVdDaEYFvf0DErdCWqA

Ollove, M., & Vestal, C. (2020, May 27). Covid-19 is crushing black communities. some states are paying attention. The Pew Charitable Trusts. Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2020/05/27/covid-19-is-crushing-black-communities-some-states-are-paying-attention

Solomon, T. G., Starks, R. R., Attakai, A., Molina, F., Cordova-Marks, F., Kahn-John, M., Antone, C. L., Flores, M., & Garcia, F. (2022). The generational impact of racism on Health: Voices from American Indian Communities. Health Affairs, 41(2), 281–288. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01419

Wilbur , M., Small-Rodriguez, D., & Keene, A. (2019, October 8). Beyond Blood Quantum . All My Relations Podcast . Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://www.allmyrelationspodcast.com/podcast/episode/49fcb76f/ep-10-beyond-blood-quantum

Wingfield , A. H. (2020, May 14). The disproportionate impact of covid-19 on Black Health Care Workers in the U.S. Harvard Business Review: Health and Behavioral Science . Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://hbr.org/2020/05/the-disproportionate-impact-of-covid-19-on-black-health-care-workers-in-the-u-s

Zaragovia, V. (2021, May 28). Trying to avoid racist health care, black women seek out Black Obstetricians. NPR. Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/05/28/996603360/trying-to-avoid-racist-health-care-black-women-seek-out-black-obstetricians