Editor’s Note: This is the ninth installment of “Our Stories,” a new WOW Dems series dedicated to telling personal stories related to the critical issues of our time – beginning with the COVID-19 crisis.

By Sheena Kwon & Adina Durdin, WOW Dems Communications Committee

The novel coronavirus has affected everyone’s way of life – from what we eat, how we work, and who we spend time with. However, the lesser-known effects of COVID-19 are rarely discussed as news coverage instead glosses over the horrific violence occurring across the nation in the wake of incidents like the murder of George Floyd.

The source of our failures

America is a settler colonialist nation. Europe did not come to America peacefully, nor did it come to find harmony with the natives. Rather, America’s brutal history of colonization, slavery, and violence has been overlooked by a guilty population, embarrassed by the failures that continue to affect thousands of lives to this day. 

Native Americans have been forgotten by the American people because we are complicit. Coronavirus has worsened the structural issues that construct how America treats Native Americans and the lack of medical attention given to their already-struggling populations. The economic devastation and lack of governmental help have destroyed Native American livelihoods, leaving many without jobs. Yet, there’s no media attention about their experience; they’re left out of coronavirus data, labeled as “other.” 

How can Native Americans, who are the rightful inhabitants of this land, be “other?” 

Disproportionately afflicted, disproportionately misunderstood

Coronavirus has affected populations and countries all around the world, but in the United States, it’s disproportionality affected Black and brown populations. Reports indicate Black and brown people become more seriously ill when they contract the coronavirus, and they die at much higher rates than their white counterparts. 

Researchers have been confused about why Black and brown bodies seem to contract and die from the coronavirus more frequently, but some of their viewpoints show a wide range of different ideas. For instance, in the Black community, people are more likely to have comorbidities like diabetes, which place them at a greater risk. Black and brown communities also make up most of the working class; in Texas, Hispanic people make up 44.5% and Black people make up 12.9% of the working class. Members of these communities are also more likely to lack even basic access to healthcare. People with essential, onsite jobs are at greater risk of contracting the virus than those who can work from home; sadly, most of those workers are from Black and brown communities. 

Working women: Bearing the brunt

The virus also disproportionately affects another community: women. Women-owned and women-centric businesses are extra burdened by the economic downturn, and female-dominated industries are most hurt by shelter-in-place orders. Many women are losing their jobs. To make matters worse, unlike during previous economic crises, women are forced to risk their health, especially if they must be onsite to work. 

It’s been difficult for small businesses to stay afloat during the COVID-19 crisis. Many are looking into the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan in hopes of obtaining a small investment and keeping their businesses running. Many have applied for the PPP Loan, but up to 90% of women- and minority-owned businesses have been declined because financial institutions favor borrowers with whom they had existing relationships prior to the COVID-19 crisis. And, of course, many of those existing relationships are with white men. While financial institutions call this a good business strategy, it is, in fact, extremely biased and unfair to women-owned businesses. Even before the coronavirus, women-owned businesses obtained loans, on average, 31% less than their male counterparts, putting them at a disadvantage. This lack of funding forces many women to turn to outlets like GoFundMe, hoping to not only support their businesses but also to simply provide for themselves and their families. 

In shelter, imprisoned

Many women already face an array of economic problems during quarantine, but many other women are facing different problems altogether while stuck at home. 

Domestic violence was already not uncommon before COVID-19, but now, women in abusive relationships are quarantined pretty much around the clock with their abusers. Research shows that domestic violence hotlines around the globe are receiving record numbers of calls. The government has failed to take into account that a quarantine is a perfect time for abusers to terrorize victims who have no escape. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres addressed this on Twitter, urging “all governments to put women’s safety first as they respond to the pandemic”. 

Many women have tried to take action against domestic violence by calling the police and requesting divorce papers, but neither has seemed to help. The majority of police calls end in no arrest and divorce hearings have been put on hold due to the coronavirus. Studies show that when faced with personal crises, such as financial setbacks or losing jobs, abusers are more likely to murder their partners and others. So, the coronavirus has not only imprisoned thousands of domestic violence victims, but also burdened them with extra stress, anxiety, and hardship in nearly every regard of their lives. 

Shedding light

Coronavirus has affected everyone’s way of life, but it’s rare to see these lesser-known impacts discussed in the news. Even though people of color and women are disproportionately negatively impacted by coronavirus, these injustices will continue to happen in the dark if we don’t act now to remedy them. 

 

About the authors

Sheena Kwon and Adina Durden are WOW Dems Communications Committee members. Kwon is Korean-American and a student at Greenhill. Durden is a woman of color and also a student at Greenhill.

 

Sources:

https://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/economy/news/2018/07/06/170670/makes-working-class/

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/07/how-covid-19-is-impacting-women-owned-small-businesses.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/world/coronavirus-domestic-violence.html

Resources

Domestic Violence Resources

  • Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 (if you can speak aloud)

If you can’t speak aloud due to proximity to your abuser:

PPP Resources

Health Resources