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and they are more likely to experience loss. In fact, Pew research
suggests that more than a quarter of Black Americans know someone
who was hospitalized or died from COVID-19, compared to 1 in 10
white Americans.
These hardships worsened after the police killing of George Floyd, a
Black man in Minnesota. His death catalyzed nationwide protests for
racial justice—but at the same time, many observers say, it made the
pandemic even harder for many Black Americans.
“Black people have been hit on all sides with the threat of loss of
life,” says Riana Anderson, assistant professor at the University of
Michigan’s School of Public Health. “It is exhausting. Depleting.
Depressing. And absolutely an additional stressor.” She argues that
family and community support is a strength of the Black community,
but physical distancing restrictions have made it more difficult to
access that power.
“Black people have been hit on all sides with the threat of loss of
life,” says Riana Anderson, assistant professor at the University of
Michigan’s School of Public Health. “It is exhausting. Depleting.
Depressing. And absolutely an additional stressor.” She argues that
family and community support is a strength of the Black community,
but physical distancing restrictions have made it more difficult to
access that power.
Other people of color are suffering disproportionally under the
pandemic, too. Nearly one-fifth of Latino adults were experiencing
serious psychological distress in April 2020; the CDC estimates that
Latinos make up over half of the U.S. agricultural workforce, a group
of essential workers whose jobs put them at greater risk of
infection. Discrimination against Asians has risen since the pandemic
started in Wuhan, China.
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Other people have been unable to continue work during the pandemic,
waiting for the time when they’ll be called back, while some have been
laid off entirely. Unemployment in the U.S. more than quadrupled from
February to April, leveling off in July at 10 percent.
A Chinese survey in mid-February examined some of these work
situations, though not all. What was clear is that people who are
unable to work temporarily—even if they don’t get laid off—have
worse mental health. And while working in an office might seem risky,
it was the people working from home who were actually more
distressed and less satisfied with their lives.
Caring for yourself and others
There’s a lot we don’t have control over in this situation, which is
stressful in and of itself. You may have some of the risk factors
mentioned above, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
But what can you control? That’s the first question to ask.
VERY LIKELY
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
VERY UNLIKELY
NOT SURE
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Kira M. Newman
Kira M. Newman is the managing editor of Greater Good. Follow her on Twitter!