Chapter 12: Racism, The Real Cause of The Racial Inequity of Coronavirus

Racism in the United States is a preexisting condition. It is embedded in all aspects of American culture and, more importantly, the country’s socioeconomic system. It is primarily responsible for the uneven distribution of the nation’s wealth, which grossly favors White people. Moreover, racism is also responsible for the uneven distribution of pain that is overwhelmingly inflicted on the nation’s minority families. Therefore, as COVID-19 cuts a disturbingly unequal path across America, it should surprise no one who the disease is disproportionately killing: Black, Latinx, and Native Americans. People of color are dying at more than twice the rate of White people, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020) data. The tremendous disparity in the death and hospitalization rates between Whites and people of color is striking. Although the infection data are less reliable than the data on mortality, the data show a disturbing disparity in infection rates even in this area.