By Georges Benjamin, Center for Health Journalism, August 11, 2020
The impact of racism is front and center of policy discussions about the devastating toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on communities of color. Early in the outbreak it became clear that African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans had a higher incidence of this disease, higher hospitalization rates and a higher percentage of premature deaths, compared to non-Hispanic Whites. Historical racism plays a significant role as a root cause of this clinical phenomenon. The disparate impact of COVID-19 has alarmed many from the start, and the concern has escalated as people of all races have participated in mass protests against police brutality.
To understand how racism is at play in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and why so many people have been spurred to gather publicly and protest despite potentially increasing their risk of infection, it’s important to understand the three forms of racism: structural racism, personally mediated racism and internalized racism.
Structural racism is the differential access of opportunities, goods and services by race. Examples include housing segregation, unequal schools, and redlining, in which one group gets a worse financial deal or less access to credit than another group based on race.
Personally mediated racism happens when discrimination and prejudice are promoted based on one’s assumptions about the motives, intent and capabilities of another person or group. This is the classic way people generally see racism.
Internalized racism occurs when the stigmatized group, tragically, accepts stigmatized perspectives about their own abilities and worth.
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