We thought New York City was one of those progressive blue cities, but apparently it’s a hotbed of racism; at least it’s progressive enough to admit that it’s racist. The New York City Board of Health passed a resolution Monday that directed the Health Department to do what it can to ensure a “racially just recovery” from the COVID-19 pandemic.
We’ve heard before that the coronavirus is racist in that blacks have a higher mortality rate, but Dr. Dave A. Chokshi, the department’s commissioner, explains that many diseases that disproportionately affect African Americans are not biological but the result of “disinvestment, discrimination, and disinformation”:
“Why do some nonwhite populations develop severe disease and die from Covid-19 at higher rates than whites?” he said. “Underlying health conditions undoubtedly play a role. But why are there higher rates of hypertension, diabetes and obesity in communities of color? The answer does not lie in biology. Structural and environmental factors such as disinvestment, discrimination, and disinformation underlie a greater burden of these diseases in communities of color.”
He added, “The Covid-19 pandemic must render unacceptable that which has been condoned for generations.”
Obesity? We’d learned from CBS News last summer that “fat stigma” has racial origins and “is rooted in anti-Blackness.”
Any bets that this resolution will do absolutely nothing to help African Americans in real life?
Related:
New York City Board of Health declares racism a public health crisis
