Black Americans Are Contracting And Dying From COVID-19 At An Alarming Rate, Report Shows

Early data out of Milwaukee shows that African Americans have contracted and died of Coronavirus at a much higher rate than White Americans.  In Milwaukee, the Coronavirus initially entered through a white, affluent suburb but soon spread to the inner city.

Black Americans were originally told misinformation like the bogus idea that black people were immune to the virus.  Also, due to a history of painful government restrictions including segregation and mass incarceration, where black people were told where they could go and what they could do, adherence to social distancing was not high within the black community.

“We’re like, ‘We have to wake people up,’” Milwaukee Health Commissioner Jeanette Kowalik told ProPublica.

As ProPublica reports:

As of Friday morning, African Americans made up almost half of Milwaukee County’s 945 cases and 81% of its 27 deaths in a county whose population is 26% black. Milwaukee is one of the few places in the United States that is tracking the racial breakdown of people who have been infected by the novel coronavirus, offering a glimpse at the disproportionate destruction it is inflicting on black communities nationwide.

 

In Michigan, where the state’s population is 14% black, African Americans made up 35% of cases and 40% of deaths as of Friday morning. Detroit, where a majority of residents are black, has emerged as a hot spot with a high death toll. As has New Orleans. Louisiana has not published case breakdowns by race, but 40% of the state’s deaths have happened in Orleans Parish, where the majority of residents are black.

 

Illinois and North Carolina are two of the few areas publishing statistics on COVID-19 cases by race, and their data shows a disproportionate number of African Americans were infected.

“We know in the U.S. that there are great discrepancies in not only the diagnosis but the treatment that African Americans and other minorities are afforded,”Dr. Ebony Hilton, an associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the University of Virginia, told Buzzfeed. “So I want to make sure that in this pandemic, that black and brown people are treated in the same way and that these tests are made available in the same pattern as for white people,”

Black communities have less access to health insurance which leads to less coronavirus testing.  Black people are also more vulnerable to implicit biases. That is why doctors and lawmakers alike are calling for the government to provide demographic data of COVID-19 patients.

“COVID is just unmasking the deep disinvestment in our communities, the historical injustices and the impact of residential segregation,” Dr. Camara Jones, a family physician, epidemiologist and visiting fellow at Harvard University who focuses on identifying, measuring and addressing racial bias within the medical system, told ProPublica. “This is the time to name racism as the cause of all of those things. The overrepresentation of people of color in poverty and white people in wealth is not just a happenstance. … It’s because we’re not valued.”

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2UJ0k9R

Facebook and Google Are Offering Millions in Small Business Grants Amid COVID-19

Since the start of the global pandemic of COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, many states have issued a mandatory stay-at-home order for all residents forcing all non-essential businesses to close down until the virus has been properly contained. As a result, small business owners have been struggling to keep their doors open and stay afloat through the economic fallout.

Companies like Facebook and Google have been stepping in by providing grants to entrepreneurs struggling with their expenses amid the virus pandemic.

Facebook announced it will be providing $40 million in grants to 10,000 small business owners all over the country who have been affected by COVID-19. This is part of an existing initiative of $100 million that the company is providing toward coronavirus relief.

The majority of the grants will be distributed through cash and some ad credits for business services on the platform. Businesses need to have an active Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp profile to apply for funding. New York City and Seattle are among the first cities to receive funds within the next week.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has hit small businesses everywhere,” wrote Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in a Facebook post published Thursday evening. “Suddenly and, through no fault of their own, many simply can’t do business, and for others it has become much, much harder because customers are doing the right thing and staying at home.”

The CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, has also announced that the company will be donating over $800 million toward COVID-19 relief. The $340 million will be directed toward Google Ad credits and a $200 million investment to be used for small businesses to access capital.

“As the coronavirus outbreak continues to worsen around the world, it’s taking a devastating toll on lives and communities,” said Pichai in a statement. “Together, we’ll continue to help our communities—including our businesses, educators, researchers and nonprofits—to navigate the challenges ahead.”

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2wT9VlD

Facebook and Google Are Offering Millions in Small Business Grants Amid COVID-19

Since the start of the global pandemic of COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, many states have issued a mandatory stay-at-home order for all residents forcing all non-essential businesses to close down until the virus has been properly contained. As a result, small business owners have been struggling to keep their doors open and stay afloat through the economic fallout.

Companies like Facebook and Google have been stepping in by providing grants to entrepreneurs struggling with their expenses amid the virus pandemic.

Facebook announced it will be providing $40 million in grants to 10,000 small business owners all over the country who have been affected by COVID-19. This is part of an existing initiative of $100 million that the company is providing toward coronavirus relief.

The majority of the grants will be distributed through cash and some ad credits for business services on the platform. Businesses need to have an active Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp profile to apply for funding. New York City and Seattle are among the first cities to receive funds within the next week.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has hit small businesses everywhere,” wrote Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in a Facebook post published Thursday evening. “Suddenly and, through no fault of their own, many simply can’t do business, and for others it has become much, much harder because customers are doing the right thing and staying at home.”

The CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, has also announced that the company will be donating over $800 million toward COVID-19 relief. The $340 million will be directed toward Google Ad credits and a $200 million investment to be used for small businesses to access capital.

“As the coronavirus outbreak continues to worsen around the world, it’s taking a devastating toll on lives and communities,” said Pichai in a statement. “Together, we’ll continue to help our communities—including our businesses, educators, researchers and nonprofits—to navigate the challenges ahead.”

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2wT9VlD

Houston Chef Jonny Rhodes Converts His Restaurant Into a Grocery Store to Handle Coronavirus Needs

We have to do what is necessary to help the community, and Chef Jonny Rhodes has come up with a way to do his part! Rhodes, who is from Houston, has converted his popular soul food restaurant, Indigo, into a grocery store. The store will give low-income families better access to high-quality food. The decision to make the conversion came about due to the current coronavirus pandemic, according to BlackBusiness.com.

The entrepreneurial chef opened Indigo two years ago in the north Houston neighborhood of Trinity Groves. He recently changed that business to Broham Fine Soul Food & Groceries as it opened this week on April 1 at 2019 Bennington Street.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

It is times & moments like these in which we referenced from our inception. This project wasn’t due to launch until the fall, but our people need us NOW. As many have formed opinions on our current state as a nation , nothing has changed then or now about our position regarding food apartheid and food inequality in the nation. They are very different subjects, and we plan to address them head on with our concept @broham_groceries . While we cannot open until April 1, 2020 it brings us great joy to announce the launch of our first combat outpost in the fight against food injustice in black/brown communities. We are not sure when the tasting room will reopen, but leave with this. Land inequalities will only exacerbate hardships when agricultural crisis arise, natural phenomena or not. While many fight for right to vote, and hundreds of others. Where is the fight to eat right. It affects every group or identify you could possibly create. Social distancing is only difficult because not enough of us have land to grow our own food and live sustainable lives. With this, many cannot comprehend how poverty and crime are so dangerously intertwined with food. Houston has one of the the largest amount of car break-ins across the nation. Many done by teenagers scavenging for money for food. Not for luxury items, that money goes right into @mcdonalds @burgerking and all of the other low quality food options in our communities. Imagine in 2020 cutting off the limb of a thief for stealing food. We do it everyday when we penalize poor people for simply trying to survive. When we speak about climate change, the effects on people of color is often disregarded. Once again, land inequalities will only exacerbate hardships when agricultural crisis arise! #foodfight #foodapartheid #foodinequality #exacerbatinghardship

A post shared by indigo (@restaurant_indigohtx) on Mar 24, 2020 at 8:53pm PDT

Opening a grocery store was always in Rhodes’ future but the coronavirus pandemic accelerated his timeline. The store will provide him with a way to keep his Indigo staff employed while the restaurant is closed and it also fulfills a need in the community.

“You think about this epidemic that’s going on, one of the things you see is grocery stores can’t keep things on the shelves. Over here, there are no shelves to be empty, because there are no grocery stores. Instead of there being empty shelves, there’s empty bellies,” Rhodes tells CultureMap.

“Since this has taken place, a lot of them are surviving on chips, soda, candy. That’s only going to make what’s going on right now worse. Now, you don’t have the immune system to fight it off, because we’re poisoning ourselves. We just want to be able to provide [an alternative].”

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2JDoTig

Houston Chef Jonny Rhodes Converts His Restaurant Into a Grocery Store to Handle Coronavirus Needs

We have to do what is necessary to help the community, and Chef Jonny Rhodes has come up with a way to do his part! Rhodes, who is from Houston, has converted his popular soul food restaurant, Indigo, into a grocery store. The store will give low-income families better access to high-quality food. The decision to make the conversion came about due to the current coronavirus pandemic, according to BlackBusiness.com.

The entrepreneurial chef opened Indigo two years ago in the north Houston neighborhood of Trinity Groves. He recently changed that business to Broham Fine Soul Food & Groceries as it opened this week on April 1 at 2019 Bennington Street.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

It is times & moments like these in which we referenced from our inception. This project wasn’t due to launch until the fall, but our people need us NOW. As many have formed opinions on our current state as a nation , nothing has changed then or now about our position regarding food apartheid and food inequality in the nation. They are very different subjects, and we plan to address them head on with our concept @broham_groceries . While we cannot open until April 1, 2020 it brings us great joy to announce the launch of our first combat outpost in the fight against food injustice in black/brown communities. We are not sure when the tasting room will reopen, but leave with this. Land inequalities will only exacerbate hardships when agricultural crisis arise, natural phenomena or not. While many fight for right to vote, and hundreds of others. Where is the fight to eat right. It affects every group or identify you could possibly create. Social distancing is only difficult because not enough of us have land to grow our own food and live sustainable lives. With this, many cannot comprehend how poverty and crime are so dangerously intertwined with food. Houston has one of the the largest amount of car break-ins across the nation. Many done by teenagers scavenging for money for food. Not for luxury items, that money goes right into @mcdonalds @burgerking and all of the other low quality food options in our communities. Imagine in 2020 cutting off the limb of a thief for stealing food. We do it everyday when we penalize poor people for simply trying to survive. When we speak about climate change, the effects on people of color is often disregarded. Once again, land inequalities will only exacerbate hardships when agricultural crisis arise! #foodfight #foodapartheid #foodinequality #exacerbatinghardship

A post shared by indigo (@restaurant_indigohtx) on Mar 24, 2020 at 8:53pm PDT

Opening a grocery store was always in Rhodes’ future but the coronavirus pandemic accelerated his timeline. The store will provide him with a way to keep his Indigo staff employed while the restaurant is closed and it also fulfills a need in the community.

“You think about this epidemic that’s going on, one of the things you see is grocery stores can’t keep things on the shelves. Over here, there are no shelves to be empty, because there are no grocery stores. Instead of there being empty shelves, there’s empty bellies,” Rhodes tells CultureMap.

“Since this has taken place, a lot of them are surviving on chips, soda, candy. That’s only going to make what’s going on right now worse. Now, you don’t have the immune system to fight it off, because we’re poisoning ourselves. We just want to be able to provide [an alternative].”

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2JDoTig