16 Oct We won’t be defined by a painful past and present. Join me as we work toward a better health future

By Tom Joyner, BlackAmericaWeb.com

I love success stories, I root for the underdog, and I’m all about doing what it takes to get ahead.

Most of my mentors have had humble beginnings and have worked hard to achieve great things. They were committed to uplifting and making a change for the better for the people and communities that have been left behind. I’ve tried hard to emulate these people and I’ve made it my life’s work to super-serve our community by tackling every issue, every policy, every news story, every triumph and every tragedy with seven words, “What does this mean for Black people?”

When I look at the COVID-19 pandemic, and its disproportionate impact on Black people, here is what I know.

This pandemic has highlighted that our community often gets the short end of the stick when it comes to our health. Black Americans are becoming infected with the coronavirus at a rate three times that of White Americans and are twice as likely to die from the virus.

What’s driving these grim statistics? Well, it’s complicated – and a lot of it is rooted in systemic racism. Things like lack of access to health care, economic factors, and racial discrimination in clinical settings all play a role. Black Americans have more chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease than White Americans, increasing our likelihood of death from COVID-19. Black Americans are more likely to work in ‘essential’ roles, increasing our exposure to the virus. The list goes on. Read more …