Medium, June 7, 2020: COVID-19 Translated Racial Inequality in America into Numbers
The COVID-19 virus poses a risk to every human life. Yet, data shows that in America, a disproportionate number of racial and ethnic minorities, specifically black people, have been getting sick and / or dying.
Statistically, black deaths from COVID-19 are nearly two times higher than is proportional to their share of the population. In some states, the rate stands at three or more times higher. …
… The racial disparities related to COVID-19 seem to stem from one single root cause:Â racial residential segregation.
Racial residential segregation refers to the separation of races in residential contexts, resulting from governmental policies and historical events that shaped the residential patterns of U.S. cities. …
… A study by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition from 2018 illustrates how areas redlined by the HOLC in the mid-to-late 1930s are much more likely today than other areas to comprise lower-income, minority residents. …
