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Evidence suggests that during the early phase of the coronavirus pandemic, blacks are suffering the greatest death rates compared to all other ethnic groups. Why? I can assure you that the coronavirus does not discriminate based upon skin color or ethnicity. Instead, it has a predilection for populations with the highest rates of chronic diseases, poor access to health care and too little information from trusted sources. For decades, the National Medical Association — which represents more...

I had a fascinating breakfast conversation with my 11-year-old daughter a few days back. The nigh before I had a fitful dream - one that was short on plot and imagery, but chock-full of emotion. In this case, the feeling was of a deep, immovable sorrow. When I awoke, it didn't take long to recognize that the article I'd been working on - this article - was definitely working on me, too. During breakfast I knew my daughter could tell I wasn’t on solid ground. She’s a sensitive soul, and I...

By Emily Kaplan, The Atlantic, May 27, 2020 One of the first times I met with Antonio, a middle-aged undocumented man in Queens, he was an hour late. When he arrived, panting, he explained that while he was on the subway, word spread among passengers that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were waiting at the next station. Antonio stayed on the train for several more stops—but when he got off, he said he saw agents at that station too. This was the only day that entire month, he told...

By Nigel Duara, Cal Matters, May 29, 2020 Edson Romero maneuvers his black Cadillac Escalade under the early afternoon sun onto Highway 101 in Los Angeles. Behind him is the Boyle Heights home he shares with three siblings. Up ahead is Echo Park, and the job he’s held since the recovery from the last economic crash, back in 2011. He’s dressed in his work uniform: blue jean shorts, running shoes and a black shirt emblazoned with “Sage Plant Based Bistro” in yellow-green lettering. Romero, 34,...

By Samantha Young, California Healthline, May 29, 2020 Shirley Madden, 83, relies on a caregiver and her two grown daughters to remain living at home — and not in a nursing home. Her daughters, 55-year-old Carrie and 60-year-old Kristy Madden, both use wheelchairs and need a second caregiver to help them navigate their own daily lives. But that critical caregiving support, along with other health care benefits for millions of Californians, could be scaled back to help plug a massive budget...

By Hans Johnson and Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Public Policy Institute of California, May 29, 2020 The COVID-19 recession has already led to much larger declines in employment than occurred throughout the Great Recession, and jobs have been lost much more quickly. As with past recessions, less-educated workers are bearing the brunt of these declines. Nationwide, almost 20 million workers lost jobs between February and April this year (among adults age 25 and over). Employment declined by about 7...

By Tia Taylor Williams, American Public Health Association, May 2020 Alarming disparities within the COVID-19 pandemic — such as higher hospitalizations and death rates among African Americans — are sadly predictable and highlight the urgent need to address the root causes of health inequities. APHA is hosting this four-part webinar series to give an in-depth look at racism as a driving force of the social determinants of health and equity. The series will explore efforts to address systems,...

Taundra Pitchford, the Child Care Planning Council Coordinator at the Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO), shared with me in an interview that SBCEO, not unlike other organizations within the Resilient Santa Barbara County ACEs Connection Network, remains open and operational amid the ever-evolving Coronavirus turmoil we find ourselves navigating. Pitchford commented, when asked how her work has shifted since the outbreak of the virus, "While I was busy before, I have never worked...

Early Learning and Care Division Click this link for full reference: https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/mb2006.asp Subject: COVID-19 Guidance regarding Emergency Childcare Services for Essential Workers and At-Risk Populations Number: 20-06 Date: April 2020 Expires: June 30, 2020, or until the State of Emergency has ended, whichever occurs first Authority: Senate Bill 117 (Chapter 3, Statutes of 2020); Executive Order N-33-20; Executive Order N-45-20, Executive Order N-47-20; Welfare and...

Here is the link to the recording of the webinar "Lessons from the Past" if you didn't have a chance to tune in yesterday. Carolee https://youtu.be/M_sUW2wWnfA

When I was an adolescent and young adult, I struggled with depression. As I reflect back on that time, so much of what I was experiencing was deeply tied to coming to terms with my sexuality. Growing up in the 1980’s in a relatively conservative town, I was closeted (even to myself) until I was a young adult. The pain and fear of being different, of not belonging, of being judged or rejected for who I was more than my adolescent brain could wrap its conscious head around.

By S.E. Williams and Chuck Bibbs, Black Voice News, May 20, 2020 The COVID-19 Pandemic shined a brighter spotlight on the unorthodox leadership of this nation and revealed an unprepared healthcare system. In the process, it also exposed a grim, denigrating and devastating reality regarding people of color and the poor, particularly Black people. The health vulnerabilities these communities have lived with for generations, left them dangerously vulnerable to this deadly virus. Now, they are...