When White Folks Catch a Cold, Black Folks Get Pneumonia (This Black-Ass Life)
Welcome to the 62nd installment of This Black-Ass Life. Here are the facts: Coronavirus is here, some scared misinformed people aren’t drinking Coronas, aunties and uncles are going buckwild on Whatsapp, and we all need to talk about inequality perpetuating illness.
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Thanks to CAP for the subject line.
l. The Facts
Coronaviruses (CoV) is a family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to fever, cough, breathing difficulties and in more severe cases, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first reported in Wuhan, China, on 31 December 2019.
There are currently 80,000 coronavirus confirmed cases worldwide, and over 77,000 of them are in China.
With the exception of the tumbling stock market, life is pretty normal thus far. Few people are sick, there’s been one reported death, schools aren’t closing, cities aren’t shutting down and public events haven’t been canceled.
That might not be the case for too long since some experts are predicting that we might be headed for a global pandemic.
Why does it matter?
In China, where the outbreak started, poor people are bearing the brunt of the burden. The cost of food, medicine and personal care products have sky-rocketed and only those who can afford it are still able to live normally. This would be the case in the US as well, should we experience the spread of COVID-19.
While cities might be quarantined, the poorest and most vulnerable are still finding ways to work because they have no choice, exposing themselves and others to illness.
Resource allocation is also becoming an issue with rich countries and rich people hoarding what we all need to survive.
All this is to say, that Black people, who tend to be socially vulnerable and on the lowest economic rung, are in for the worst of whatever is to come.
What can my Black-Ass do?
Don’t panic. Get prepared.
Eat the rich. (Jk, Mike, you’re safe!)
Stop your parents from sending Facebook and WhatsApp conspiracies full of misinformation.
Put the masks down. They don’t work. Health professionals and other people actually need them.
*We* are not usually the problem here with this, but: wash your hands properly, disinfect surfaces and avoid touching your face, especially while you’re outside.
Get the flu shot.
ll. Other Things
Black women are everything.
RIP to all the greats: Katherine Johnson, B. Smith, Ja’net Dubois, Esther Scott
Y’all, check out this teacher who dressed as a Black icon every day for Black history month.
Look at Zaya get the applause she deserves! May all Black babies be surrounded by this much love.
Per The Root, NDAs aren’t just a Bloomberg thing. Sanders has gotten in on the game, too.
Also from The Root, here are all of the 2020 Dem candidates’ Black agendas, ranked.
Late House Rep. Elijah Cummings is now the first Black lawmaker to have a House chamber in the Capitol named after him.
From Damon Young: An open letter to the (white) men in airport restrooms who refuse to wash their hands.
The second season of Shrill is very good, but the 5th episode which highlights a Nigerian wedding is particularly good.
Our Black-Ass song(s) of the week (Jumoke):
Doja Cat is problematic, but I love LOVE this song and this video.
Things we are looking forward to / things we are not looking forward to:
I (Jumoke) am not looking forward to the youth fucking up my classics. The fact that rappers are sampling songs from the early 2000s makes me feel like I need to buy a burial plot.
I (Mitu) look forward to witnessing and supporting in any way I can Simon Biles’ brave advocacy for herself and other victims.
lll. Text from a Black-Ass Mama
Thank you to a loyal reader for sharing this message! Y’all, this is the mess we’re talking about. Tell your uncles to stop spreading these lies on Whatsapp!
Stay Black, thrive and wash your hands for 20 seconds at a time! We’ll hit your inbox next on March 16.