Why The Coronavirus Is Hitting Black Communities Hardest

Code Switch

NPR

Society & Culture

4.6 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 11 April 2020

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Many have referred to COVID-19 as a "great equalizer." But the virus has actually exacerbated all sorts of disparities. When it comes to race, black Americans account for a disproportionate number of coronavirus-related deaths in the U.S. In this bonus episode from Slate's "What Next" podcast, reporter Akilah Johnson talks about the many reasons why.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, Codeswitch family, Shireen here.
0:03.0	By now you've seen the statistics about COVID-19 deaths
0:06.4	and how they break down by race.
0:08.8	In the nearly four years of doing this podcast,
0:11.4	we've brought you countless stories
0:13.4	that pointed the health and wealth inequities in this country.
0:17.6	So if you're a regular Codeswitch listener,
0:20.1	these statistics probably didn't surprise you.
0:23.4	But if you're anything like me,
0:25.4	they made you really upset and incredibly frustrated.
0:30.6	On this bonus episode, Mary Harris,
0:32.9	host of Slate's Daily News Podcast, What's Next,
0:36.0	talks with Akila Johnson from ProPublica
0:38.7	about race and COVID-19.
0:41.4	And a warning, there's some foul language in this episode.
0:45.3	All right, here's Mary.
0:48.2	For a reporter, uncovering the face of the coronavirus
0:51.8	feels a little like watching film develop in a dark room.
0:55.3	First, we learned that elderly were at risk.
0:58.3	But children seem to be safer.
1:01.4	Then it seemed like men were getting sicker than women.
1:06.2	The question that I think is driving me as a reporter
	...

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