Race and Reopening: What’s That Got to Do With It?

We know that coronavirus has had disproportionate impacts on communities of color over White communities, and that access to resources like finances, ability to work from home, and health care vary widely and are differentiated by race. So it should come as no surprise that current opinions on the pandemic and on how and when to reopen also vary widely based on race.

Did you know that the group hospitalized for coronavirus at the highest rate is the Native American/Alaska Native population? Black people are hospitalized at the next highest rate. White people, on the other hand, are hospitalized at a rate about 80% less than indigenous groups.

Different Realities

In a poll measuring attitudes regarding the coronavirus, about 50% of Blacks, Hispanic people, and Asians reported that they are “very worried;” only about 30% of White respondents are “very worried.” This makes complete sense when you take a city like Chicago, for example. In Chicago, people who are Black make up about 30% of the population, but represent 72% of coronavirus deaths. This disproportionality reflects racial inequity.This has been reported since April and yet, have any significant changes been made?

Some experts have asked about racial equity (or lack thereof) in school reopening plans. Roopika Risam writes that pressure to attend in person classes, on students or faculty members, will disproportionately affect those with underlying conditions, which are also more prevalent in communities of color than they are in White communities. When taken alongside the overwhelming whiteness of most higher education institutions, it’s possible a student or professor might find themselves in a catch-22 — either attend school in person and risk their own health or the health of a loved one, or speak out and ask for permission to teach or learn from home, risking one’s standing, reputation, and future at the university.

Special Request?

For schools where the pressure to reopen is strong, asking to work from home might be seen as a special request that either cannot be met or may be disfavored, leading to continued oppression of those vulnerable populations. Of course, this applies to many students and teachers and not only people of color — but ignoring race in this issue is equivalent to denying that those lives most affected should be accommodated. Thus, it’s similar to arguing that “all lives matter” when the system is inequitable and does not demonstrate the importance of the most vulnerable.

How have you, your organization, your school, or your community taken racial equity into consideration when working on reopening plans? What changes ought to be made to accommodate for those most in need of help or most at risk of getting sick? Whose voices are left out of the decision-making process? These questions and more can help send us on our way to an equitable and safe reopening process…..for the benefit of all.