"A Racialized Pandemic" - An Infographic

Image credit: Carly Van Syckle, Buffalo Project Research Assistant (Fall 2020)

The Author's Comment

As a society, we are dealing with two separate yet interconnected matters in 2020: a global pandemic that has killed over 200,000 Americans and the movement that has drawn attention to a history of years of oppression to communities of color. In a matter of months, we saw the rise of COVID-19 and the rise of the movements calling for racial justice, but how do these two matters interconnect?

I compiled this infographic to bring attention to the disproportionalities faced by the Black and Hispanic communities in the face of COVID-19. Many may be familiar with the statistics regarding COVID-19 cases and deaths, but may not understand why certain communities are being disproportionately impacted. Collecting research through the CDC website and other credit sources allowed me to find the numbers behind these disproportionalities, as well as possible reasoning behind them.

As we saw COVID-19 sweep through America, we saw it have a detrimental impact I'm Black and Hispanic communities. This impact is multifaceted, although the main issues stem from lack of healthcare and access to resources that many white communities may receive. Members of minority groups are more likely to be uninsured than white non-Hispanics (CDC 2020). One aspect of the pandemic that proves to be disproportionate amongst Black and his panic communities is the ease and ability to social distance. The ability to stay home, or work from home, is not a reality for many. Expose your rates amongst Black and his Bannick communities may be higher because of their disproportionate representation in the essential worker field (CDC 2020).

Moving forward as a country, we must realize that these disproportionalities exist in order to address them. The accessibility of healthcare and resources will continue to play a role and the amount of COVID-19 cases and deaths we see. We must ensure that these communities have equal access to treatment and vaccines in the future.