People of color have been drastically affected by COVID-19 through marginalization, discrimination, gaps in income and education, and a lack of the same resources many in the white community have enjoyed. According to NPR news, "African Americans continue to get infected and die from COVID-19 at rates more than 1.5 times their share of the population." NPR's research also reports a higher case and death percentage in African American/Black, Native American, and Hispanic communities that exceeds their share of the population (See Here).
People of color around the world have also played vital roles in the road to recovery from leading research scientists, such as Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, to stepping up to the plate as willing participants in the many medical trials required for vaccine production. Dr. Corbett isn't the only major player of color in the case for COVID-19 recovery. Sandra Lindsay, a nurse from Queens and a black woman, will go down in history as the first person in the United States to receive a COVID-19 vaccination (click here for the New York Times article discussing this momentous occasion). Calethia Hodges has inherited the monumental task of recruiting black and African American participants for COVID-19 medical trials as vaccinations are put on hold until they are tested among communities of color as well as the white population (NBC published an article here).
The need for communities of color in America is hardly a new idea as the U.S.A. has been built on the backs of black and African American laborers. Our nation would have nothing if not for the slaves, indentured servants, and underpaid workers who created and continue to sustain our economy. Moving forward, however, our nation must work with equity for all workers (no matter class, race, or socioeconomic status) if we wish to build a future where we do not rely on the blood of our brothers and sisters.