Harvard Center for African Studies : Shared experiences with COVID-19 in African and African American Communities
A discussion on African American and African experiences with COVID-19 webinar, co-sponsored by HARVARD CENTER FOR AFRICAN STUDIES & the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University.
Moderated by: Professor Emmanuel Akyeampong, Oppenheimer Faculty Director of the Harvard Center for African Studies & Ellen Gurney Professor of History and of African and African American Studies.
Speakers:
Dr. John Nkengasong, Director, Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Professor Evelynn Hammonds, Chair, Department of the History of Science & Barbara Gutmann Rosenkrantz Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University
Professor David Williams, Florence & Laura Norman Professor of Public Health & Chair, Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences at Harvard University.
Watch the conversation here ... https://vimeo.com/418187232
Comments
UBELE INITIATIVE TELECONFERENCE 27 APRIL 2020
Co-morbidity is affected by underlying health conditions but also social determinants of health, such as poverty, Afrophobia, and employment opportunities. BAME communities are twice as likely as whites to experience food poverty, and in some London boroughs up to 20% of the population are food insecure.
NAZ – the people who are impacted the most should lead in the provision of those services. “We should be part of the response, delivery, strategy, and leadership from early on in the debate. What we need is an action plan that joins it all up and puts it on the radar of key players. Exercising agency at this time is critical.”
Share what people are doing and amplify that across different structures. Undocumented migrants in the UK do not have recourse to free NHS, and are scared because they may be reported to the Home Office.
WHAT ARE THE LIMITS TO EMERGENCY POWERS?
HOW IS DATA BEING GATHERED AND SYSTEMATIZED; E.G. IN ITALY, BELGIUM, & LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES.
BLACK TALK RADIO BROADCAST WITH TOYIN AGBETI, LIGALI 12 MAY 2020
According to the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) Black men are 4.2 times more likely to die from Covid-19 than their white counterparts, and Black women are 4.3 times more likely to die than their white counterparts. The biggest risk is reflected when accounting for age. Risk is further reduced to 1.9% when socioeconomic, health, and cultural factors such as intergenerational housing and overcrowding. Vulnerable groups include key worker roles such as bus drivers, and NHS frontline staff. Insufficient protection by Section 44 of the 1996 Employment Act.
Allegations that police abuse power to enforce social distancing, e.g. a Black man was tasered in front of his child in Manchester. Although ethnic majority also impacted, white get a softer touch. Policing guidelines are used to cover a lot of situations, e.g. interviewee Toyin Agbetu alleges he was fined for breaking lockdown laws for filming police harassing a female suspect.
Furlough maintains the system of inequality as 80% of up to £2500 is paid by the UK government to employees affected by the pandemic. The self-employed have also been let down as well as zero hour contracts and gig economy. Self employed must be for a year and therefore many are not entitled to government help, although some may be eligible for Universal Credit. Mortgage holidays have also been offered of up to 3 months but not for rent payers. Low issued loans issued as a part of the government’s economic stimulus compound economic enslavement in the form of debt.
Community organisations have gone above and beyond duty to provide food to vulnerable, but this should be government’s responsibility not theirs.
Increased reports of domestic violence in Black households due to lockdown, and there is also an adverse impact on the mental health of the community.
North American Fatalities as of 12 05 20
USA 80 000
Canada 5 000
Mexico 3 000
Extracts from the UN High Level Political Forum: Cities as bridges between SDGs and citizens in a post-COVID-19 World
Stefano Bonacini, Italy
Collaboration and cooperation in accordance with the 2030 Agenda is required to achieve CMR.
The populistic approach adopted by some European leaders has led to their communities being the ones that suffer more than others from covid-19 infection and fatality rates.
Environmental sustainability is key where the 2030 Agenda objectives become everyone’s objectives as goals.
A dramatic economic crisis lies ahead of us which will require a lot of public investment; sustainability will have to be at the core of post covid-19 recovery plans.
Edwin Mino-Foro Regiones
LRGs need to be at the fore for leadership, e.g. by decentralising by building from local government for accountability and multilevel governance.
Vasa Gounden – Civil society
The theatre of conflict will move to urban areas in competition for scarce resources. Both the health and economic crises will precipitate a security crisis which will in turn precipitate a humanitarian crisis.
SDGs are meant to deal with root causes, and implementation places the state party as a conducive driver for development and lead player with other stakeholders, to deal with poverty, inequality and unemployment.
Local and national interests are therefore necessary to address global challenges through global responsibility.
Carla Rey
Emilia Suiz – Secretary General for Local Government and Cities
Basic service provision by public bodies is linked with SDGs intrinsically.
Global solutions must be based on aspirations and needs of local authorities.
The SDG Framework is a valid framework to address the challenge of building bridges as cities for post covid-19 recovery.
Solidarity is not just about doing the right thing, it is a necessity. Subsidiarity is about thinking local, and acting global when doing things in our local communities.