There is no denying that we are in the midst of two major pandemics in our country: a public health crisis that started early in 2020, and a racial crisis that started before we became a nation. Every day it seems like there are more COVID deaths than the day before, while hospitals are running out of beds, and the administration is more focused on the past election than people dying. Everyday there are new stories of racial injustice, whether through police brutality, a white supremacist action, or a ‘karen’ spewing racial ignorance in a park somewhere. These dueling pandemics are overwhelming and affecting each of us in different ways.
Racial injustice has been magnified through COVID: African Americans are contracting and dying from COVID at a higher rate than any other race in the US. The systemic racism that has existed in our country for centuries, which has negatively affected the overall health and economic lives of African Americans, is now causing African Americans to suffer more than others from this public health crisis. There is so much more information on this subject than I can do proper justice to here, but I can share with you, through my lens, how these dueling pandemics (COVID and racial injustice) have negatively affected the clients I serve.
I am a mental health therapist in behavioral health at a medical center in West Baltimore. The client population we predominately serve are individuals who are African American, have low incomes, and live in the surrounding area. I provide therapy to clients who have experienced challenges in their lives that most people cannot begin to fathom. These challenges range from mental and physical health challenges, to food and housing insecurities. And now, with a global pandemic, they are experiencing these challenges to an even greater degree.
I’ve had clients lose their jobs, fear eviction, fear their electricity being shut off, have to wait hours for the bus due to bus schedules being cut, trouble getting connected with resources because so many offices are closed to the public, and so much more. The barriers that my clients face have gotten even harder than they already were. Some clients live in fear of catching the virus, and some fear taking the vaccine, due to the mistreatment of African Americans by the medical community in the past.
My clients inspire me with their resiliency and strength every day. The clash of these dueling pandemics has made it clearer than ever that I want to fight for what is right. As a white girl from Appalachia, it is more important than ever that I continue to educate myself on systemic racism and the racial injustices that affect the clients I serve, and acknowledge my white privilege in the process. It is important that I hone my case management skills and continuously learn of the new and existing resources that are available to my clients. It is important that, even when I get tired, I remember that the fight for what is right and for systemic change is a marathon, not a sprint and we all have to work harder to combat these pandemics.
Elizabeth P. Stafford LMSW ’19, has been a mental health therapist at Grace Medical Center since July 2019.