Last week, as America sadly crossed 20,000 COVID-19 related deaths, an alarming statistic has become a major discussion in mainstream media: African Americans in some of America’s biggest cities are disproportionately being hospitalized and dying from COVID-19 complications more than any other group.
“A Centers for Disease Control study of the virus found that 33 percent of those who have been hospitalized are African American — even though that racial group makes up only 13 percent of the population of the United States. Meanwhile, 45 percent of those in hospitals for the virus are white and non-Hispanic, even though that group makes up more than 60 percent of the U.S. population overall.” - Dante Chinni, NBC News
Although the coronavirus does not choose its victims based on race or socioeconomic status, we must acknowledge that a history of institutionalized racism, discriminatory housing practices, food insecurity and more, are all contributing factors to this large discrepancy.
The coronavirus outbreak has been an unfortunate reminder that our work in providing resources to everyone in the City Fit Girls community must expand beyond running and fitness to adequately address the inequalities that lead to these issues.
, we know that this outbreak has had an economic impact on millions of Americans but if you have the means to do so, consider supporting Einstein Hospital - a hospital in Philadelphia's Olney neighborhood where over 40% of people who get tested for
coronavirus have positive results.
Thank you for supporting this community. We look forward to working with you to continue making sure that health and wellness is truly accessible for everyone. We'll keep you up to date with more opportunities to help.
Takia
Co-Founder, City Fit Girls
