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Press Release

Coronavirus Pandemic Is Disproportionately Hurting Black Communities & Trump’s Failures Are Making It Worse

By June 2, 2020No Comments

African-Americans Account For 23% of COVID-19 Deaths Despite Comprising 13% of Population

Four Months Into Pandemic, Less Than Half of Adult African-Americans Are Employed

Years of structural racism in the United States have left African Americans especially vulnerable to the coronavirus crisis

African American deaths from coronavirus are happening twice as much than would be expected based on their share of the population.  To make matters worse, Black Americans are also facing the brunt of the economic collapse. 1 in 6 African Americans have lost their jobs since February and half of the adult African American population was jobless by April.

Health Disparities: Trump’s Coronavirus Failures Are Disproportionately Hurting African Americans, Who Are Dying of Coronavirus at a Higher Rate Than White Americans

  • NPR: “African-American Deaths From COVID-19 Are Nearly Two Times Greater Than Would Be Expected Based On Their Share Of The Population.” “Nationally, African-American deaths from COVID-19 are nearly two times greater than would be expected based on their share of the population. In four states, the rate is three or more times greater.”  [NPR, 5/30/20]

  • Black People Are Dying Of Coronavirus At Rates Higher Than Their Proportion Of The Population In 32 States And Washington D.C. “NPR’s analysis finds that in 32 states plus Washington D.C., blacks are dying at rates higher than their proportion of the population. In 21 states, it’s substantially higher, more than 50% above what would be expected. For example, in Wisconsin, at least 141 African Americans have died, representing 27% of all deaths in a state where just 6% of the state’s population is black.” [NPR, 5/30/20]

  • As Of May 20th, Nearly 23% Of Coronavirus Deaths In The United States Were African Americans, Even Though They Make Up Roughly 13% Of The Population. “Nearly 23% of reported Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. are African American as of May 20, even though black people make up roughly 13% of the U.S. population, according to racial demographic information on Covid-19 cases and deaths from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma that tend to plague African Americans more than other racial groups could be contributing to more Covid-19 deaths. Income inequalities and disparities in access to health care, which generally lead to poorer diets and overall health, tend to hurt minority and lower-income populations more than others.” [CNBC, 5/27/20]

  • Counties With A Disproportionate Number Of African Americans Accounted For 52 Percent Of Cases And 58 Percent Of Coronavirus Deaths Nationally. “Counties across the country with a disproportionate number of African American residents accounted for 52 percent of diagnoses and 58 percent of coronavirus deaths nationally, according to a new study released Tuesday. The study, conducted by epidemiologists and clinician-researchers at four universities in conjunction with the nonprofit AIDS research organization amFar and PATH’s Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access, attempts to fill in the blanks as states report piecemeal data on race and ethnicity.” [Politico, 5/5/20]

  • About 13,000 Black Americans Would Still Be Alive If They Were Dying From Coronavirus At The Same Rate As White Americans.  “The latest overall COVID-19 mortality rate for Black Americans is 2.4 times as high as the rate for Whites and 2.2 times as high as the rate for Asians and Latinos.…If they had died of COVID-19 at the same rate as White Americans, about 13,000 Black Americans, 1,300 Latino Americans and 300 Asian Americans would still be alive.” [APM Research Labs, 5/27/20]

  • Underlying Disparities Only Exacerbate The Coronavirus Crisis — Black People Are More Than Twice As Likely To Lack Health Insurance Than White Counterparts And Are More Likely To Live In Medically Underserved Areas. “Black people are twice as likely to lack health insurance compared with their white counterparts, and more likely to live in medically underserved areas where they face health facility closures and caps on public health plans.” [The Guardian, 5/25/20]

  • As Of Late-May, African Americans Make Up 39 Percent Of Deaths In Michigan While Only Accounting For 14% Of The State’s Population. “In Michigan, black people make up nearly 14% of the population and account for roughly 39% of deaths.” [CNBC, 5/27/20]

  • Report: African Americans Made Up 20 Percent Of Pennsylvania’s Coronavirus Deaths While Only Accounting For 12 Percent Of The State’s Population. “The new report shows that 73% of COVID-19 deaths were white, 20% were African American, about 4% were those with multiple/other races and 2% were Asian. Hispanic individuals made up 5.4% of the deaths. According to U.S. Census population estimates from 2019, African Americans make up about 12% of the state’s population, while 7.6% is made up of Hispanics or Latinos, and Asians make up 3.7% of the population.” [Lancaster Online, 5/19/20]

  • Early Data Revealed That More Than 70 Percent Of Coronavirus Deaths In Louisiana Were African Americans. “And when Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Monday that his state would begin releasing preliminary data on race and coronavirus deaths, he said he had a ‘disturbing’ note: ‘Slightly more than 70 percent of all the deaths in Louisiana are of African Americans.’ ‘That deserves more attention,’ said Edwards, whose state is about one-third African American, according to the Census Bureau.” [Politico, 4/6/20]

Economic Fallout: Trump’s Coronavirus Failures Are Disproportionately Hurting African Americans, Who Are More Likely to Be Negatively Impacted by the Economic Downturn 

  • Vox: “From February to April, More Than One In Six Black Workers Lost Their Jobs, And As Of April, Less Than Half Of The Adult Black Population Had Jobs.” “The unemployment rate for black workers was higher than whites pre-pandemic and now. From February to April, more than one in six black workers lost their jobs, and as of April, less than half of the adult black population had jobs. Black workers’ unemployment rates are higher than white workers at every level of education.” [Vox, 6/1/20]

  • Kaiser Family Foundation Survey: Nearly Half Of African Americans Have Reported Problems Paying For Necessities During The Pandemic. “Almost a third (31%) of the American people say they’ve experienced problems paying the rent or mortgage, or for food, utilities, credit card bills or medical costs as a result of the coronavirus. Among African-Americans, that number climbs to 48%. Among Latinos, it’s 46%. And 47% of households with an annual income below $40,000 say they’ve had trouble paying their bills because of the pandemic.”  [Axios, 5/29/20]

  • Bureau Of Labor Statistics Data Show That Black People Disproportionately Work In Jobs That Risk Exposure. “Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows black people work a disproportionate number of jobs as health care and personal care assistants, for example. Such jobs lead to exposure with potentially sick people, which is even more risky for people who aren’t wearing hospital-grade protective gear.” [Buzzfeed News, 4/10/20]

  • Center For Responsible Lending Estimated That 90 Percent Of Businesses Owned By People Of Color Will Be Shut Out Of The Paycheck Protection Program. “‘Based on how the program is structured, we estimate that upwards of 90% of businesses owned by people of color have been, or will likely be, shut out of the Paycheck Protection Program,’ said Ashley Harrington, director of federal advocacy and senior council for the Center for Responsible Lending, a non-profit group that combats abusive lending practices and recently examined the loan program’s parameters.” [CBS News, 4/22/20]

  • 95 Percent Of Black-Owned Businesses Stand Close To No Chance Of Receiving A PPP Loan. “‘Roughly 95% of Black-owned businesses, 91% of Latino-owned businesses, 91% of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander-owned businesses, and 75% of Asian-owned businesses stand close to no chance of receiving a PPP loan through a mainstream bank or credit union,’ the center warned on April 6 as the Paycheck Protection Program, or the PPP, was starting to take applications.” [CBS News, 4/22/20]