The Illinois Black Caucus discusses the impact of COVID-19 on Black Americans
It should be no surprise that African American communities in Chicago are the most vulnerable to coronavirus. The preexisting conditions often found in these communities combined with the physical effects of this virus is presently taking a toll on individuals and families during this difficult moment in time. There has been a large impact on communities that lack investment and are underserved.
Also, many of the people who are at risk of becoming a victim of the coronavirus, according to the Center for Disease and Prevention, are older adults and people of any age who have severe underlying medical conditions, a reality strongly prevalent in the black community as well. With several strategies already in place to reduce the continued spread of the coronavirus, how can people combat the virus while still following safety precautions? Here in Chicago, some elected officials are to do what they can to help spread accurate and useful information
On April 7, several African American elected officials representing federal, state, Cook County and the City of Chicago collaborated to host a virtual town hall discussion entitled “The Impact of COVID 19 on Black Communities.” The event was held through the online live streaming platform Zoom and began with discussing the percentage of African Americans who make up Cook County, and how many of those people account for the deaths in Chicago caused by the coronavirus.
The coronavirus is responsible for many deaths in the African American communities. According to Congresswoman Robin Kelly, “African Americans make up just 23% of Cook County but over accounted for more than half of the county's COVID-19 deaths. And as we heard just recently 72% of the city of Chicago's deaths, we're not only seeing disparities in death, but also diagnostic testing for African Americans.”
The discussion also focused on the immediate health of the country and how to address underlying disparities affecting black communities. The conversation continued with an overview of the issues that cause black communities to be particularly susceptible to the virus. Doctors contributed their own perspectives on the impact of the virus, through sharing observations of what's going on within their local health departments and hospitals. They also offered insight into what is being done in state labs to test people for the coronavirus.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health Health Director Ngozi Ezike, “Our state lab was the first state lab in the country to develop the capability to test. We are doing testing at each of our three state labs in Chicago, Springfield, and Carbondale. We've even gone to two shifts to be able to ramp up the production.”
City of Chicago Equity Officer Candace Moore emphasized the importance of people coming together to figure out solutions that can satisfy community needs. She recognizes the structural problems that existed prior to the COVID-19 outbreak are affecting the public's health now even more intensely. Moore believes it’s important now to utilize networks and the tools among city disposal to have more control over what is happening across black communities.
“The time now is to really utilize the powerful networks that we actually have already placed in our communities and really marry them closely with the efforts that the city is able to put together and learn where we need to be doing more,” Moore said.
Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary Grace Hou thinks the best way to approach people within black communities during this crisis is by communicating and empowering them to speak up for themselves. She also supports proceeding with hyperlocal tactics, which she says is a targeting approach. This will give city officials in Chicago the ability to engage and maintain relationships within specific communities. Hou says she wants to give these community members the opportunity to ask questions and voice their opinions. This will prevent others from speaking for them as she believes it’s the leaders’ responsibility to answer the unknown. The city has had conversations about advertising their efforts possibly through the radio and human networking such as people sharing information amongst each other. Information is very critical for people to hear since people can’t gather together in person to discuss.
“The hyperlocal approach that we want to take is that we want to utilize existing networks in communities, where people already have relationships with one another,” Hou said. “We're going to actually invest in those relationships and empower folks to have the information that we know.”
Toward the end of the discussion, State Sen. Kimberly Lightford (4th Dist.) points out that it’s obvious the disparity of African American deaths has a lot to do with their health conditions, and she's aware that they have never had the greatest access to healthcare. Lightford also informs that ancestors from the past had other remedies to substitute for that and she highlights ways African Americans could boost their immune systems.
“I didn't hear any of the doctors mention ways we can suggest to people to build their immune system,” Lightford said. “I mean, we've got to talk about pulling out that blender and throwing some fresh ginger and garlic and in spinach, and all these things, vitamin C and vitamin D that we know that can build our systems in the African American community."
Lightford also talked about masks and other resources that are slowly coming into the black community. She says she is fighting to obtain more test kits, searching for ventilators, and trying to create more testing sites within black communities. Lightford also believes as a leader it's essential to focus on the people within the communities and help them through this overwhelming period. The families who have lost loved ones to this pandemic will need counseling and grieving opportunities when it's over.
"I've been on the phone, making sure that counseling will be in place, grieving opportunities for people to get that extra help,” Lightford said. “This will need to happen because when the coronavirus goes away, we're still going to have to deal with a lot of loss.”
This is one of the many meetings the Black Caucus plans to lead. For future updates, contact the Black Caucus or the elected individuals within your district to receive updates on the next town hall meeting. Although they were not able to get to all the questions submitted during the Zoom meeting, they plan to answer them on a future call. People are advised to read their newsletters or social media to stay informed.