When the pandemic hit, many more black employees in our workforce had to continue working at our group homes whereas most white employees were able to work from home. This resulted in a much higher rate of black employees contracting the virus versus white employees. Due to their circumstances and lack of access to educational opportunities, black employees hold most of the lowest paid positions at our company, while mostly white employees hold management or senior management positions.
HV When did this story occur?: Pandemic times
Open the Doors
A local nonprofit serves many minorities who are financially challenged. Those served come in sicker and with illnesses that have to be treated more intensely because of their limited access to healthcare services.
Access During Pandemic
During the pandemic, there continues to be a gap in access between “the Coast” and “the Glades”. When the began to offer COVID-19 testing at the Ballpark and Delray, it was almost 4-6 weeks later until testing was available in the Glades. Now with the vaccines, the same thing is happening again with Glades not being given “access” because we don’t have a Publix in our community.
WANTED: New Thinking and Leaders Willing to Lead
The storming of the Capitol Building is a story of the deep inequities, of racism and white supremacy. For some, this is blatant and obvious. For others, there is no comprehension of these connections. Is it based on the eye of the beholder? A group of white professionals were talking about being done with perfunctory diversity trainings and workshops. They were saying we (the US) need something stronger. Not driven by HR departments or 2-hours mandated in a school district setting. The entire framing of our systems needs to change in order to make real progress. I agree. Until people are pushed out of their comfort zones personally and accept a degree of personal reflection on these matters, our work will be surface level and meaningful, community and societal level change, won’t be realized.
Lessons from the classroom
I would like to share an example that involves children to note that inequity often begins early on.
Many families in our own communities struggle everyday with virtual school, because they lack access to reliable internet connections, computer equipment, technical skills, adequate space or privacy in the home or simply having someone available to guide them through it. Other families do not have these limitations, and therefore their children are more likely to succeed. In some instances, children who are struggling may unfairly be labeled as difficult, disinterested or lazy. The playing field is simply not level.
At such a young age, these children are already experiencing the harsh reality of inequity.
Organizations Prescribing Solutions
I have sat on a few county wide conversations, some of them are focused on equity specifically and the idea of community led processes, but by no means is truly that. What has been really frustrating is to hear people prescribe solutions to the community. For example, the Barbershop talks are becoming a best practice, and organizations/system leaders want to force their messaging onto communities through this venue, rather than working with them to co-design what the barbershop would want. Additionally, yoga is promoted as such a huge mental health benefit to our community, everyone is talking about the benefits of it, but does our community feel comfortable in the current yoga spaces? Are they prescribing this solution without asking if the community wants it.
No Cocktails For You
My son’s father passed away due to complications from COVID….he was exposed (on his job at the water utilities department) while working in very close quarters with a contractor who had tested positive for the disease. There is no hospital in the rural county where he lives, but he was transported by ambulance to the closest facility about 30 minutes away with obvious signs of apoxia, O2 levels well below the 94% that most acknowledge as a threshold for concern. He spent about 6 hours in the ER before he was moved into a room…on a regular floor (where the nurse to patient ratio is much lower). He was ultimately moved to ICU, intubated, and…there is actually no “and,” there’s a “BUT.” But, he died.
My son’s dad fought, my son fought for him….finally getting eyes on his case after a personal friend of his called the CEO of one of the largest health systems in the country. That gentleman reached out to the CEO of the hospital where his dad was a patient. Several specialists were consulted. All of this after 8p on August 25th. They all said they wish they’d consulted on the case sooner…it was too late. We know that because he passed away the next morning on August 26th.