In the Spotlight:
Covid 19, the Coronavirus and the Black Community
Like all communities around the world, members of the Black and African Heritage communities will be impacted by the global pandemic. However, as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) point out,
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because of the racial and economic inequities embedded within our country’s infrastructure, the effects of the Coronoavirus have been compounded for Black and Brown communities. Already we have seen many equity and justice challenges that must be addressed before they worsen and cause further damage."
On Sunday March 15, 2020, the NAACP organized an emergency tele-town hall, "The Coronavirus, Protecting Our Community". If and when a link to the recording is made available, it will be uploaded to a future edition of the Monterey Black Folks Calendar.
In this time of of social distancing, many expected upcoming events have or will be canceled. Some confirmed cancellations include the Historically Black Church Tour and the Harambee African Heritage Men's Community Gathering at CSUMB and the Monterey Bay Black Folks Town and Gown Meeting that was scheduled at CSUMB for Monday March 23, 2020.
Nevertheless, we encourage all community members to stay in touch with each other in other ways, including phone calls, emails, face-town and social media. Part of community health is community participation and that is vital even in times -- perhaps even more in times -- of physical social distancing.
This would be a good time for blogs and for church leaders who may consider canceling their in person services, to continue with video recordings of the sermons if they already have that set up, or sending out their sermons through emails or newsletters. Even if the congregations may need to be physically scattered, they still need to be spiritually gathered and there are a number of alternate ways to ensure that these communities remain connected.