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