Activists seek a response

Lay coffin to show impact on minorities

A black coffin was laid at the State House entrance Monday as activists with the Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition pleaded with state officials to recognize the virus’ disproportionate effects on people of color.

Dubbed the “Honor the Dead & Respect the Living” march, activists from various organizations, clad in black and donning gloves, masks and signs, livestreamed their march through downtown to the State House, riding in vehicles and maintaining social distancing.

Louis Elisa, representing the coalition, stood in front of the coffin and slammed Gov. Charlie Baker and local leaders for the disproportionate number of coronavirus deaths among minorities and in veterans homes in Massachusetts.

“We’re here to say to all those in a position in authority of power we will hold you accountable for the death of our veterans,” Elisa said. “Our men and women who served this country who are now being left to die in nursing homes that are still not being managed properly.”

Elisa said despite Latinos and black people representing less than 15% of the state’s population, they’ve accounted for more than 63% of total coronavirus deaths.

Vero Navarro, a Boston Public

Schools teacher who said she’s seen a student and mother diagnosed with the virus, said officials are placing profits over people with the phased reopening plan.

“I think that the governor and the task force are intentionally and knowingly using majority black and brown bodies as guinea pigs, because they tend to be the essential workers,” Navarro told the Herald, referencing the state’s Reopening Advisory Board. “If we’re making decisions such as keeping schools closed for the rest of the year, and not having parades in Boston until Labor Day, it doesn’t make sense, and it doesn’t match up to the science that we know.”

A spokeswoman for Baker responded to a Herald inquiry Monday with a lengthy portion of the governor’s remarks about the selection of the committee earlier this month.

Mayor Martin Walsh’s office did not directly address the activists’ allegations Monday. Boston has formed a Health Inequalities Task Force to address inequalities in health care services for minorities.

Navarro said the inequality in the coronavirus response extends beyond the city.

“This is Lawrence, this is Revere, this is Worcester,” Navarro said. “It is a glaring trend that we see here.”

JiM MicHAuD pHOTOS / BOSTON HeRALD ‘WE WILL HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE’: Louis Elisa with the Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition, speaks during a protest about the handling of the pandemic for the state’s black population on Monday at the State House.

LIFE-AND-DEATH MATTER: Protesters arrive with mock coffins to protest the state’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic for people of color.

PRAYERS OFFERED: Alice Gaskins of Boston prays with others while protesting the way little has been done to get to the root of why blacks seem disproportionately struck by the coronavirus.