The State of Things

2/24/2021

"Rosenberg argued that epidemics put pressure on the societies they strike. This strain makes visible latent structures that might not otherwise be evident. As a result, epidemics provide a sampling device for social analysis." - David S. Jones, M.D., PhD, N Engl J Med 2020; 382:1681-1683; DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp2004361

“’Until this moment, there is scarcely any hope for the American Dream, because people who are denied participation in it, by their very presence will wreck it,’” - James Baldwin (6). Throughout history, inequality has existed among us consistently. Between different racial groups, we can observe the different struggles and disadvantages that minorities have had to struggle against to live. And even after opposing such inequalities, through this epidemic, our society today has revealed itself to still be rooted deeply in the inequality it was built upon. Through social analysis, we find that inequality is most evident through the freedom and health of the minorities, and political polarization.

have had to face forcible movement from their land into agriculturally

unfit areas. And following their relocation to urban centers during the

mid-1900s, Native Americans face not only housing insecurity but high levels of financial insecurity (4). Black communities have also faced decades of inequality in the freedom of homeownership. Many polices have been enacted that have taken affordable housing for Black communities and leaving them in financial instability, such as the construction of Central Park resulting in the displacement of its Black residents (4).Federal homeownership programs such as the Home Owners’ Loan Act have also excluded Black families from affordable housing and

CherokeeTrailOfTears.jpg?attachauth=ANoY

“Social inequality has historically been characterized both by income differences and by group oppression,” (2). They tie together to create multiple situations of injustice toward the minority. Group oppression has been widely evident throughout history. Chinese immigration during the California gold rush caused a rise in xenophobic mobs that

Both Rosenberg and Jones were correct in stating how societies are put under pressure during epidemics and how they provide us with a social analysis of things that we may not have noticed otherwise. The levels of inequality in current events have provided us with a look at just how far back it has stemmed from. Since the beginning, minority groups have faced inequality on multiple levels and still face them today, as seen through their freedom, health, and political polarization. And it is because of this that people are still fighting for their equality, such as through today’s BLM movement, in order to bring that change. “’Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced,’” -James Baldwin (6).

One of the freedoms that people pride themselves in is the purchasing and ownership of their house. “Homeownership and high-quality affordable rental housing are critical tools for wealth building and financial well-being in the United States,” (4). Having a good home is the start of and symbolizes creating a stable life for yourself. However, racial inequality has and continues to exist in the US housing system; the most prominent examples being Native American and Black communities. Since the arrival of settlers in North America, Native American communities

(3) Removal of Native Americans from their land (Trail of Tears)

hindered the accumulation of wealth for Black families (4). And today, we see the effects that this inequality has grown in society. Opportunities for homeownership are still significantly more challenging for people of color which derives them from financial security and resulting in the majority of financially unstable/poverty-struck people consisting of minorities. This ties to the inequalities in health, as health is driven by what necessities we can obtain and use. “A safe and healthy environment is undermined by discrimination in housing policies and the siting of hazardous and foul facilities in poor neighborhoods,” (2) and neighborhoods without the resources to provide these necessities leaves its residents helpless when faced in critical situation. In addition, the health and treatment of our conditions is costly, and without the financial stability to support themselves with, the well-being of these minorities cannot be guaranteed. This is seen through a study done on the deaths during the COVID pandemic, where it was found that there is a greater risk of death (up to double the risk) for people of Black and Asian minorities not only because of common risk factors and the lack of healthcare resources, but additionally because of health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and asthma (10). When resources to maintain and treat health are unavailable, they result in the endangerment of the lives of the minorities that live in this instability.

(4) Lower homeownership rates for people of color throughout time

resulted in the Chinese immigrants to gather together in unsafe ethnic ghettos (4). During the 1950s, free black residents in Maryland were prohibited from captaining their own boats to stop their growth in the oyster business, in fear of the threat they caused to slavery (1). The Little Rock Nine and Dorothy Counts faced major racist backlash by white children and parents when attending non-segregated schools (6). In the face of this oppression and inequality, people such as Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. helped stir the hearts of people in the effort to bring that overdue change, as discussed throughout the film “I Am Not Your Negro”, (6). Through boycotts, taking action, and many speeches, each took a different course of action, yet were all doing so in opposition to that inequality. However, even after the civil rights movement, we still find inequality within not only our society but in its people. The beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement and its continuation today through the epidemic only magnifies the seriousness of the situation. The BLM movement began in 2013 with a protest about the shooting death of Trayvon Martin and has continued with the multiple shooting deaths of unarmed Black men and women, with many recognizable names of today including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor (8). This revelation of society’s inequality has also bled into the modern political world. With the recent election,

(5) Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr.

(1) Albert, Elizabeth. Silent Beaches, Untold Stories: New York City's Forgotten Waterfront. St. John's University, 2013.

(2) Cohen, Hillel W, and Mary E Northridge. “Getting Political: Racism and Urban Health.” ProQuest, American Public Health Association, June 2000, www-proquest-com.jerome.stjohns.edu/docview/215106410/F6A52115758F486BPQ/2?accountid=14068.

(3) “Indian Removal Act - Trail of Tears.” Google Sites, sites.google.com/site/jettmoore1/indian-removal-a.

(4) Maxwell, Connor, and Danyelle Solomon. “Systemic Inequality: Displacement, Exclusion, and Segregation.” Center for American Progress, 7 Aug. 2019, 7:00 am, www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/reports/2019/08/07/472617/systemic-inequality-displacement-exclusion-segregation/.

(5) Meek, Vicki. “History Repeated: James Baldwin Documentary ‘I Am Not Your Negro’! Connects Black History Past and Present.” The Dallas Weekly, 8 Feb. 2017, dallasweekly.com/articles/history-repeated-james-baldwin-documentary-i-am-not-your-negro-connects-black-history-past-and-present/.

(6) Peck, Raoul, director. I Am Not Your Negro. Magnolia Pictures, 2017.

(7) Perry, Andre M. “A Memo to President-Elect Biden: Don't Coddle White Racial Anxieties.” Brookings, Brookings, 12 Nov. 2020, www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/11/12/a-memo-to-president-elect-biden-dont-coddle-white-racial-anxieties/.

(8) Tillery, Alvin B. “What Kind of Movement Is Black Lives Matter? The View from Twitter.” ProQuest, Journal of Race, Ethnicity and Politics, Sept. 2019, www-proquest-com.jerome.stjohns.edu/docview/2283281303/C27E26593A454331PQ/15?accountid=14068.

(9) “Why the Black Lives Matter Movement Is Resonating Around the World.” Wellesley College, 17 July 2020, www.wellesley.edu/news/2020/stories/node/180306.

(10) Wise, Jacqui. “Covid-19: Known Risk Factors Fail to Explain the Increased Risk of Death among People from Ethnic Minorities.” ProQuest, BMJ : British Medical Journal (Online), 11 May 2020, www-proquest-com.jerome.stjohns.edu/docview/2430645573/27AEA9894CB49BFPQ/1?accountid=14068.

the Democratic representative Joe Biden received the most total votes that a presidential candidate has ever received in history. Many minorities recognized the inequality and racism of society, especially during this epidemic, and how Donald Trump “conflates white nationalists with racial justice activists” (7). They are mostly Democratic voters due to Trump’s viewpoint, despite the assumption that they are Republicans due to the majority of their communities attending church (7). Inequality has rooted itself within society from the centuries of injustice towards the minority groups, and it has become severely evident through social analysis of current events.

(9) One of the many Black Lives Matter protests that took place during 2020