The Vicious Cycle

 



As I watched the film "In Sickness and in Wealth" from Unnatural Causes and read thru the articles, I began to wonder if we will ever close the gap of inequalities in our society. The vast differences among the many districts across one state are quite obvious. This wealth/health gradient shows itself across America today but also for many, many years. 

Flash back to the 1950's, this is when the income inequalities began expanding. Flash forward to the 1960's. At this time, Civil Rights laws were being passed, anti-poverty progress, along with medicare/medicaid. This brought benefits of prosperity to those who hadn't yet shared in it. During this time period, policy makers had the chance to level the playing field for all races. They chose to drive a wedge between Americans instead. The symbol for this is known as the ladder which represents a fine gradation of health and wealth between races. Policies are set up to keep you where you are. This is why social economic status is a good predictor in life expectancy. This made me think of the article "Thinking About Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Impacts Through a Science-Informed, Early Childhood Lens" by Jack P. Shankoff, M.D. and David R. Williams, Ph.D. The article refers to the fact that socioeconomic conditions make it more likely that people of color will be exposed to the virus. We are learning more and more about this disease as we experience it. We now know that its greatest harm is inflicted on the respiratory system, which makes people with these pre-existing medical conditions such as hypertension, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes at greater risk. These conditions are known to be more prevalent among African Americans. 

This triggered my mind to connect with one of our readings from last week,  "Why COVID-19 is Hitting Black Women So Hard" by Treva Lindsey. Due to the types of service jobs or high risk jobs they work in, they don't get paid sick days or time off, which causes them to be more at risk of getting COVID. I can relate to these statistics briefly because of my job. I teach in a large city full of minorities. Many of my students each year have respiratory issues that affect their day to day lives. The food we serve is not of the best quality, in my opinion. My students receive free dental and eye checks while in school. I try my best, every day, to teach my students how to persevere, work hard, make good choices so that when the opportunity arises before them, they are ready to take it and be the best person they can become!










Comments

  1. Carissa LeeSeptember 18, 2020 at 2:51 PM

    Hi Sue, thank you for being an educator. I too am in the same boat in this concrete jungle. I have sat in so many PD's for racial justice and equality training. Yet, one of the most impactful things I ever did was a Community Walk throughout the Southside for an Ethnic Studies PD. I came to the conclusion that my students see their communities very differently than those that live outside of them. I realized this the evening I went to a Dominican Resturant Pito's that I have been going to for 25 years. Here, I encountered my student who was shocked to see me there. Essentially, what I am trying to say is that we need to use COVID as a vehicle of change and progress. We need to have our student's become voices for their communities.

    I've always said that if we want to get to the root of our problems in the District we need an anthropological study has to how all of our different cultures interact instead of looking at testing data.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sue Connole's Digital Literacy JourneySeptember 20, 2020 at 4:03 PM

      Hi Carissa, I couldn't agree with you more. I too did a Community Walk as part of a Grad project. It was such a great experience, to be part of my students community. I actually was able to go into a students family owned store and purchase some authentic Guatemalan food. Such a wonderful opportunity that, I actually feel all inner city teachers should do at some point in the beginning of their academic year. It will give more of a feel for their lifestyle and appreciation for your students life outside of the brick and mortar,, that so many teachers only know.
      I think using COVID to make positive change in the way we are moving forward as a community of learners is a smart idea. Students need to know they too have a voice in this world that hey are a huge part of (THE FUTURE)! .

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