A CoLA-Verse Summer Discussion Series:
“COVID-19 and Communities of Color: Disproportionate Disease”

LED BY REGINA M. BUTLER, MSN RN

ON THURSDAY, JULY 23rd at 1:00 PM

 
THE COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS at WOODBURY UNIVERSITY

THE COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
at WOODBURY UNIVERSITY

To prepare for our discussion, please read the materials linked below; there is background information meant to aid in the discussion itself and then additional materials that can provide for a more in-depth foundation on this topic. Then join us for our conversation on Thursday via Ring Central! (The link to access the Ring Central virtual discussion is also included below.)

COVID-19 and Communities of Color: Disproportionate Disease
A CoLA-Verse Conversation,
brought to you by the College of Liberal Arts
at Woodbury University,
July 23, 2020

Nationwide, BIPOC communities are dying from COVID-19 at a rate disproportionately higher than white people—for instance, 2.5 times higher for Black people than white people, and even greater for Hispanics (The COVID Racial Data Tracker, in alliance with the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research). The reasons between the disparity in COVID morbidity rates are not simply physiological—they engage with all sorts of social and institutional systems, including access to the health system, generational food insecurities, racism, and white supremacy. In this discussion, we'll consider why the virus is affecting the BIPOC communities disproportionately and what can be done—long-term—to address the systemic inequities.

BACKGROUND MATERIALS TO PREPARE FOR THE DISCUSSION:

COVID-19 in Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups

Racial health disparities already existed in America— the coronavirus just exacerbated them

Racial health disparities already existed in America VIDEO

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  • Why do we, as Americans, allow such health disparities to continue?

  • Healthcare disparities have existed amongst African-Americans, Latinos, and other minorities for generations. What experience, if any, have you or a family member had with such healthcare disparities?

  • Are healthcare disparities a new type of racism?

  • Should African-American healthcare providers do more to persuade and educate African-Americans and other minorities about medical racism or is it up to the individual to do that work themselves?

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS:

Ring Central Meeting LINK

RING CENTRAL VIRTUAL DISCUSSION ON THURSDAY, JULY 23rd for 45 minutes or so, starting at 1:00 PM (meeting opens up at 12:45 PM):

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android through your browser: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/1480802311