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Racist policies and the pandemic

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Published in the St. Louis American April 16, 2020

The world was first made aware of a coronavirus case in China last December. The U.S. was hit with its first confirmed COVID-19 case on January 20. Still, there is no comprehensive, coordinated national plan to stop the deadly virus, which I put squarely at the feet a president who is dismissive of science and facts. The failed leadership of Trump means that the number of U.S. COVID-19 cases now exceeds China – and there’s no end in sight.

The lack of leadership is also being seen at our state and local levels. The drip-drip of vital information over the last several weeks and the inability to take decisive actions are causing confusion, panic and, worse, the loss of human lives.

Sadly, some black voices joined the denial and conspiracy camps. Black actor Idris Elba tested positive for the virus and immediately took to social media to dispel the craziness. Said Elba, “That’s dumb, stupid. All right? That is the quickest way to get more black people killed.” Read more

There’s More Going on than COVID-19

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We Still Must be Organizing. Just More Carefully.

Published in BlackCommentator.com on April 9, 2020

The U.S. is months into the worst pandemic the world has seen since the 1918 Spanish Flu. And still there is still no national comprehensive, coordinated plan to stop the deadly virus. The number of U.S. COVID-19 cases now exceeds those in China and there’s no end in sight. Your president thinks the virus will be over by Easter and we can celebrate with an Easter egg hunt.

The failed leadership is also being seen on state and local levels, but most notably from Republican governors and mayors. The drip-drip of conflicting information over the last several weeks and the inability to take decisive actions is causing confusion, panic and worse, the loss of human lives.

The last hold-out Republican governors are listening to trump’s unscientific nonsense. After a massive, grassroots campaign, Missouri Republican Governor Parsons finally issued a stay-home order this week. A national stay-home order called in February would have save thousands of lives in this country. Read more

COVID in a Neighborhood Near You

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Published in the Cap City Hues April 6, 2020

COVID-19 case is not coming to a neighborhood near—it’s already in your neighborhood. This is what a pandemic looks like. The U.S. is months into the virus yet there is still no national comprehensive, coordinated plan to stop the deadly virus. The number of U.S. COVID-19 cases now exceeds those in China and there’s no end in sight.

The lack of leadership is also being seen on our state and local levels, but most notably from Republican governors and mayors. The drip-drip of vital information over the last several weeks and the inability to take decisive actions is causing confusion, panic and worse, the loss of human lives.

I think Governor Tony Evers was slow in making his stay-home decision. His announcement came on March 25. The last hold-out Republican governors are listening to trump’s unscientific nonsense. But I don’t why any intelligent elected official listening to medical and health experts would balk at being decisive in the face of this killer virus. We now know that a national stay-home order called in February would have save thousands of lives all over the world. Read more