Mason Ponders the Impact of COVID-19 on African Americans
Op-Ed:MASON: Forecasting the Weather
Published by affiliates of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and Black Press USA.
Ronald Mason Jr. – April 28, 2020
“Weathering” describes the erosive effect on things that are constantly exposed or otherwise unprotected from the elements. The term also is used to describe the erosive effect on the health of Black people caused by constant exposure to racism: stress-related conditions such as hypertension, stroke, diabetes, high infant mortality and premature death. Early indications are that Black and brown people are dying from COVID-19 in overwhelmingly disproportionate numbers. If those numbers hold true through the end of the pandemic, then racism’s “weathering” of Black health will certainly have been a factor.