Brookings Institute

COVID-19 and Black People

By Dr. Oliver Brooks, President of the National Medical AssociationApril 2, 2020

At present the CDC has noted that those with chronic lung disease, moderate to severe asthma, serious heart conditions, those immunocompromised including cancer treatment, severely obese, diabetic, with renal failure, or liver disease are at higher risk for severe illness. That warning should be clearly heard by the African American community. We are 2.2 times more likely to have diabetes, 20% more likely to have high blood pressure, and 30% more likely to be obese. The incidence of COPD (lung disease) in our women is 34% higher than in White women. Bottom line, if we acquire the virus, bad things are more likely to happen. That’s pass number one.

News Political

Mike Bloomberg Makes History with the Black Press of America

Stacy M. Brown NNPA, Newswire Senior CorrespondentFebruary 20, 2020

“The Bloomberg campaign’s initiative is groundbreaking, and it goes to significantly increasing the economic health of African Americans by tripling their net worth,” said Columbia, South Carolina Mayor Steve Benjamin, who co-chairs Bloomberg’s campaign. “The Bloomberg model is intentionally focused on creating a million new African American homeowners, 100,000 new African American-owned businesses, and $70 billion in federal capital to go in the 100 most challenged neighborhoods across the country.”