The COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting our communities for over a year now. We have all experienced some sort of loss because of the pandemic. Black Americans, in particular, have disproportionately been affected by the pandemic due to historically racist practices that still inhibit many predominantly Black communities. On the CDC’s website, they list how discrimination influences the healthcare system and further creates disparities amongst ethnic minority groups. The key topic areas include: the neighborhood and physical environment, healthcare systems, job conditions, wealth inequalities, and inequities in education quality (CDC). These are just a few factors that have increased risk of exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic among many racial and ethnic minority groups.
Historically, Black people have endured brutal injustices that continue to affect their communities today. From the early 20th century, there were federally mandated policies that have created lasting impacts on the 21st century. For example, in 1934, the National Housing Act was established, which created the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) in response. The FHA, in a way to standardize mortgage practices, created color-coded maps that indicated investment potential for residential areas. White communities were given the most financial backing, while loans were expensive or sometimes impossible to get in communities with a larger minority population (Digital Chicago). This idea was called “redlining” and created many economic issues among lower-income neighborhoods, furthering the wealth gap between White and Minority communities. While redlining has been banned for over 50 years, it still affects the communities that were once deemed “hazardous”. In this map below, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition looks at historically redlined districts in St. Louis, MO and how they are disproportionately still experiencing a lower life expectancy and higher social vulnerability rate. 
According to an article by the Washington Post, almost 75% of the neighborhoods that were once considered hazardous according to redlining standards, are still inhabited by mostly minority residents, while 91% of the areas that were considered the “best” remain residences for middle and upper-class families.
Black Americans have historically been “Othered” and because of these practices from the early 20th century, they are still struggling for proper representation. The middle and upper-class are the “One” and they continue to have more options for their health and safety practices while many of these districts still do not have adequate health care. The redlined areas created a divide in how some regions still function, and has kept areas from providing the same adequate health care options as wealthier regions. This directly correlates back to how their are a disproportionate amount of Black Americans that have suffered during this pandemic. By creating more inclusionary zoning and more affordable housing options outside of these historically redlined districts, we can reduce the concentrated regions of poverty and lower the social vulnerability rate that was present in the map of St. Louis. In doing so, it would create not only more adequate health care options to everyone, but begin to eliminate the social gap that we still see today.
Below, I have included a video that further illustrates the impact of redlined districts on public health and how it still affects many communities today. http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
References:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/03/28/redlining-was-banned-50-years-ago-its-still-hurting-minorities-today/
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/health-equity/racial-ethnic-disparities/index.html
https://digitalchicagohistory.org/exhibits/show/restricted-chicago/other/redlining
Hi! I think this diary is well written and is eye opening! I was not aware of how the black community and ethnic minority groups received heavy discrimination within the pandemic. During the pandemic I feel as though society was so focused on their health and distancing, where everyone focused on themselves and failed to acknowledge the discrimination and inequality around them. Therefore this is very informative!
Great diary and presentation, depicting the injustices that African Americans face as a result of the current covid-19 pandemic as well as the racist policies of the past that have constructed a decline in health equity. I as well did my injustice on this issue and have a few points to add to this discussion. Due to America’s history of racism and social inequalities, communities of color have been forced into tightly-packed neighborhoods, resulting in the fueling of the spread of the virus. The disparities of wealth between ethnic minority groups have contributed to leaving these individuals out of jobs, resulting in decreased access to healthcare. The impact of this phenomenon has resulted in a disparity of injustices for minority groups resulting in devastating effects. Your presentation was very informative and provided me with new insight into the devastating result of the pandemic on ethnic and minority groups.