How COVID-19 Impacts BIPOC and Incarcerated People [Video]

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How the government’s mistreatment of the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately and negatively impacted essential workers, BIPOC communities, and incarcerated people.

By Patrisse Cullors

Today I want to talk to you all about something that is has been heavy on my heart, and that is how the government’s mistreatment of the Covid-19 pandemic has disproportionately and negatively impacted essential workers, BIPOC communities and incarcerated people. I also share some important and eye opening statistics about BIPOC essential workers and incarcerated people’s experience in the pandemic and my hopes for the future administration’s plan for tackling Covid-19.

Transcript provided by YouTube:

00:00

all right everyone patrice colors here

00:04

i’ve been really torn up about something

00:07

that is how this government has

00:11

dealt with covid 19. i don’t know it

00:13

just doesn’t sit right with me

00:14

especially because the people who are

00:18

are bipoc folks black indigenous

00:21

people of color you know the population

00:25

are folks who are sitting inside of

00:28

people who are the essential workers

00:30

folks who are being forced

00:32

to deal with this pandemic even though

00:36

isn’t supporting them i know that i am

00:39

and i just want to take some space to

00:42

what has happened to so many families

00:45

how does covid 19 impact bipoc

00:49

differently so we’ve been romanticizing

00:51

the essential worker i just

00:53

finished watching the grey’s anatomy

00:54

episode with all the doctors

00:56

and nurses like being the superheroes

01:00

only 30 of our essential workers are

01:05

70 are your grocery shore worker

01:08

your truck driver your usps

01:11

driver amazon driver and your child care

01:15

these are the folks who are being hit

01:16

the hardest these are the folks who are

01:19

black indigenous and people of color

01:21

they’re often doing thankless work

01:23

and yet they are making our whole worlds

01:27

and they’re doing it risking their lives

01:29

and yoshonda i just want you to know

01:31

i’ve been watching grey’s anatomy for

01:35

it’s high drama i love the high drama

01:38

let me give you a few statistics people

01:42

43 of essential workers in this pandemic

01:46

75 of essential workers inside of new

01:51

are people of color about one in five

01:53

black workers are able to work from home

01:56

and about one in six latino workers

02:00

are able to work from home this is where

02:02

we’re at in this country

02:06

are being forced to be essential workers

02:10

inside of this pandemic and not

02:14

that they should be getting and y’all i

02:17

and go on the house floor and yell at

02:20

all of the republicans because as you

02:24

we’ve only had one stimulus package with

02:27

so many of our community members

02:29

unable to feed their selves their

02:33

unable to pay their rent losing their

02:37

and losing everything that they worked

02:39

for we are rooting for you essential

02:41

thank you for everything that you are

02:45

the community i’m going to talk about

02:48

never talk about them and that’s

02:51

so i’m not gonna actually talk about the

02:53

epidemic of incarceration for black

02:56

and this video we’ll save that for

02:58

another time we’re gonna

02:59

focus in on el paso texas and what’s

03:04

because covid 19 and incarceration means

03:08

and before we get to the nitty-gritty of

03:11

let’s go over a couple of statistics

03:14

are infected at a five times greater

03:18

than the overall u.s population the

03:21

of incarcerated people is 30 times

03:25

higher than the national rate the

03:27

largest outbreaks of covid 19

03:30

were in correctional facilities as of

03:33

august inside of san quentin over 2600

03:38

incarcerated people and guards have been

03:43

an incarcerated person inside of san

03:46

it is a perfect environment for people

03:49

die in prisons and jails have guards

03:53

but they also need to be able to run

03:56

who mows the lawns who cooks the food

03:59

it’s people who are incarcerated

04:01

they’re the actual essential workers

04:03

inside of jails and prisons

04:06

many of them haven’t actually been

04:09

they’re being forced to risk their lives

04:13

dead body into the mobile morgues

04:17

this is sinister this is sinister

04:22

as i’m reflecting on the impact covid 19

04:25

has had on bipoc communities

04:28

i’m thinking about this president

04:31

and how he denied that covid 19 was a

04:36

even when he got covid 19. i’m thinking

04:40

how our folks have little to no

04:43

access to adequate health care and what

04:46

i’m really really struck with

04:48

is the need for universal health care

04:52

the need for every single person to be

04:56

and know that they’re going to get the

04:57

support that they need i know all this

04:59

sounds bleak it does for me

05:01

but i am feeling hopeful i’ve never let

05:04

anything stop me from fighting

05:06

for my people i’m definitely not going

05:08

gonna let a global pandemic stop me from

05:12

stay safe stay educated stay connected

05:16

we need you i also forgot to say like

This post was previously published on YouTube.

Photo credit: Screenshot from video