In clamor to reopen, many black people feel overlooked
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Many African Americans watching protests calling for easing restrictions meant to slow the spread of the new coronavirus see them as one more example of how their health, their safety and their rights just don't seem to matter.
To many, it seems that the people protesting — who have been predominantly white — are agitating for reopening because they won't be the ones to suffer the consequences. So far, the facts are proving them right: The consequences of keeping some businesses open have been falling disproportionately on the shoulders of black people and other marginalized groups.
“There has always been a small, white ruling class that has been OK with seeing certain populations as disposable,” said LaTosha Brown, founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund, a power-building organization based in the South.
The pandemic has highlighted — and often deepened — gaping inequalities in the United States and around the world.
Black people are dying in disproportionate numbers from COVID-19 in the United States; people of color are especially exposed because they are more likely to hold many of the jobs that were deemed essential; and, as the reopening starts, they are likely to be among those whose workplaces open first. For instance, in New York City, the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, black people make up just under 25% of the population, but more than 40% of public transit workers.
Del monte Jefferson, a black public health professional in Atlanta, said African Americans and other people of color want to mitigate the economic damage as much as anyone else — especially since those groups are among the ones who are suffering the most from the downturn. But they don't want a return at all costs, he said.
“Even the thought of opening the country back up shows that African Americans aren't being valued,” said Jefferson, executive director of the Atlanta-based National African American Tobacco Prevention Network.
Some “reopen” protests have included black speakers, and a handful of black people have attended. But images of the rallies and Facebook pages dedicated to the movement indicate the vast majority of supporters are white.
Demonstrators from Alabama to Michigan haven't focused on race. Instead, they advocate preserving constitutional freedoms and talk about the catastrophic toll on small businesses. The protesters have included organized groups like anti-vaccine advocates, gun-rights supporters and even a militia, and many have expressed support for President Donald Trump, reflecting the way the discussion has become partisan.
But many African Americans say the fact that protesters are advocating a riskier path reveals a privileged position — as does their ability to flout social-distancing rules and even brandish weapons.
The complaints from protesters that their rights are being trampled, for instance, comes across as misinformed and mis guided to racial minorities who have been oppressed for generations, said Nadia Richardson, who heads No More Martyrs, a nonprofit focused on the mental health of black women.
“It looks like from that perspective (it's) a group of people who don't really understand what it is to have your rights violated,” said Richardson.