How the Racial Privilege Disparity has Widened during the Pandemic

George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, was killed on Monday, May 25 in Minneapolis Minn. at the hands of a white police officer, according to the New York Times; the officer had pinned Floyd to the ground and pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for approximately 8 minutes and 43 seconds, all the while bystanders could hear Floyd saying “I can’t breathe.”

Floyd’s death has become a symbol of systemic racism against the black community. While racial profiling and police brutality has, unfortunately, become all too common in the United States, the global COVID-19 pandemic has caused the gap in racial privilege to widen and become more apparent. 

For one, COVID-19 has disproportionately affected black individuals. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 33% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients were black, which is far higher than the 18% community average. However, given the intense systematic racism against the black community, this should, in all honesty, be unsurprising. 

After all, compared to their white counterparts, black people have less access to wealth, safe living conditions, education and healthcare. Although redlining, the practice of denying investment in neighborhoods with racial minorities, has since been outlawed, its effects are still felt, according to the Washington Post. In the past, redlined neighborhoods were denied loans, which made it harder for minorities to purchase houses and get into better school districts; white citizens did not face such obstacles

Overall, this practice has caused a generational racial wealth gap between white citizens and minorities, especially black people; according to a 2020 Brookings Institute report, white families have net worths ($171,000) that are approximately 10 times greater than that of black families ($17,150). Furthermore, without any past opportunities for financial growth, black citizens were more likely to fall into the cycle of poverty. 

Due to this fiscal disparity, it has become increasingly difficult for black individuals to receive equal healthcare access during this pandemic. According to Carlos Nelson, CEO of the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corp, in an NPR article, black communities simply do not have the same COVID-19 testing resources as others do.

However, the double standard discriminatory practices extend far beyond healthcare and economic differences. 

Following Floyd’s death, thousands of protesters led to the street to advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement; as of June 9, at least 140 cities have hosted sprawling protests, both peaceful and violent, according to the New York Times. 

The National Guard has been deployed in about 21 states and, as seen through various social media outlets, police officers have employed unnecessary violence against peaceful protesters. President Donald Trump exacerbated the conflict by tweeting, “When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” in reference to the small instances of property damage incurred during the riots, according to the Atlantic. For context, this phrase was first stated in 1967 by Miami police Chief Walter Headley, who was renowned for his racist attitudes and disdain for the Civil Rights movement.

On the other hand, when hundreds of white citizens protesting against the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders entered Michigan’s state capital on April 30, they were met with little to no legal ramifications, according to the Washington Post. Some carried guns while others dressed up in combat uniforms and yet, President Donald Trump labelled them as “very good people,” in reference to a CNN article. 

There is a stark and unnerving difference between these two situations; at its foundation, the justice system has punished one group and lauded the other on the basis of skin color. Through the recent Black Lives Matter protests, it has become irrefutably clear that racism has permeated into every aspect of life.

“The Black Lives Matter movement means everything to me, because I am a part of the black community,” recent Northwood High graduate and rising Cal Poly Pomona freshmen Toriola Olora said. “I care so much about people who look like me, and I wouldn’t hesitate to stand by others who are passionate about changing concepts about the present to make the future better for people of color.”

Over the past few weeks, Olora has attended multiple Black Lives Matter protests in Irvine, determined to use her voice to encourage change and help reduce the gap in racial privilege.

“I think people are realizing that there is a need to stand with the black community because black people are human beings and have been stepped on for centuries,” Olora said. “Having that entire video of George Floyd being killed and tortured on camera made everyone feel something, and society is accepting that this wasn’t police protocol, it was racism in broad daylight.”