Rev. Dr. Nicole B. Simpson Shares What African-Americans Can Do to Survive and Thrive During COVID-19 and Beyond

 

Everyone is feeling the impact of the Coronavirus, particularly the African American community.

 

COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on the African American community and those with heart disease, including high blood pressure, Diabetes and heart failure, who are at the highest risk of severe infection.

 

“The unfortunate higher death rates seen in African Americans and other minorities and disadvantaged persons is not new, but has been magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic and requires urgent, comprehensive action,” said Association of Black Cardiologists Community Programs Committee Co-chair Dr. Daphne Ferdinand PhD, RN. “Direct, culturally-sensitive messages are needed to inform and motivate the African American community and overcome myths and misinformation.”

 

The African American Research Collaborative (AARC) in partnership with the NAACP and the Equity Research and Innovation Center (ERIC) at Yale School of Medicine recently presented results of a new poll detailing the impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic on African American communities. The poll is the first of its kind, with a deep dive into how African Americans are responding to the novel Coronavirus pandemic.

 

AARC polled a large national sample of African Americans and developed the questions in consultation with a group of leading African American university-based scholars from the fields of public health, law, education, political science, and sociology.

 

Among the important findings:

 

• 80% of those polled preferred to hold off on ending the shutdown to assure their safety ahead of boosting the economy.
• 64% of African Americans are afraid they are less likely to be offered Coronavirus/COVID-19 testing and 60% feel they are less likely to have everything done to save their lives in the hospital.
• 80% of African Americans feel that current federal, state, and local leadership have done a poor job of responding to the Coronavirus pandemic.
• 58% of African Americans do not trust that law enforcement will fairly and equally enforce rules about social distancing.

 

Regarding the polling release, Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP, said, “This poll brings attention to the true sentiment of Black communities within this pandemic and beyond. The impact of this virus will only further harm our community while increasing racial disparities and structural bias across the board. This moment calls for us to trust and listen to the community most impacted by COVID-19.”

 

“These data shed light on some of the root causes driving disparate COVID-19 health outcomes for African Americans,” said Marcella Nunez-Smith, Director of the Equity Research and Innovation Center (ERIC) at Yale School of Medicine. “This further supports concerns about how effective educational and public health messaging is within these communities. And this is perhaps the first national survey to highlight that the majority of African Americans suspect racial bias affects their access to equitable care for COVID-19. These findings are a roadmap to guide urgent lifesaving interventions.”

 

Henry Fernandez, Co-founder and Principal of the African American Research Collaborative (AARC) said, “This poll is both sad and empowering.  It demonstrates how devastating economically and personally the pandemic has been on African American families and how little trust they have in the federal, state, and local governments.”

 

“The pandemic has pulled the curtain back on many of the nation’s racial problems. It is clear from our survey that African Americans are very concerned, not only about the racially-disparate impact of COVID-19 but also about the federal government’s laissez-faire approach to slowing down the spread of the virus,” said Dr. Ray Block, Director of the Research Project for AARC and Associate Professor of Political Science and African American Studies, Penn State University.

 

To get some expert advice on a proper course of action, I spoke to Rev. Dr. Nicole B. Simpson, pastor, author, and economic specialist to discuss What African Americans can do to survive and thrive during COVID-19 and beyond.

 

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About our guest

Rev. Dr. Nicole B. Simpson has appeared on CNN News, BBC World News, Huffington Post, Crains NY Business, Fox News and UPN 9. Simpson is a Cum Laude graduate of Oral Roberts University. She completed her Masters of Divinity degree at New Brunswick Theological Seminary in May 2016 Magna Cum Laude. In January 2017, Simpson enrolled into Boston University to purse her Doctorate of Ministries in Transformational Leadership and completed the program in December 2019. Ms. Simpson has authored 6 books which can be purchased on Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Nicole-B-Simpson/e/B00345M1UK/ref=dp_byline_cont_all_1

Rev. Dr. Nicole B. Simpson