COVID-19. That’s a word we’re all used to by now. The world we live in today is a completely different one from the one we were in just a few months ago. Just a few months ago, it was practically unimaginable to think that masks and gloves would be normalized everywhere. One important takeaway from all of  this is the fact that this virus knows no borders; to this virus, we’re all just humans–it treats us all the same. However, that can’t necessarily be said about how us humans see each other. As humans, we have a tendency to label and characterize things, especially other humans. This is something that I think has been especially highlighted by this pandemic. There have been constant reports of racism and discrimination all around the world as a result of this pandemic and it’s really hard to see that during a time like this, we still can’t completely put aside our differences.

Unfortunately, certain governments haven’t been doing much to stop this. In China, the government has been encouraging workers to deny serving black people and landlords have been notoriously forcing black tenants out of their dwellings. As reported by the BBC, a Nigerian student living in Guangzhou, China was quoted to say, “Look how they are treating us, how they forced us out of our houses and forced us to self-quarantine,” (Vincent, 2020). In another report, a Ghanaian student from the Wuhan University said, “We are the ones left behind,” (Kyama, 2020). These are awful scenes to witness and it shows the true colors of the Chinese government. Meanwhile in the United States, things aren’t much better. The COVID-19 death rates have been significantly higher among African-Americans and Latinos and as data began to show that, the White House asked US Surgeon General Jerome Adams to deliver a message. He called for these historically marginalized communities to step up and help stop the spread of the virus by “avoiding alcohol, drugs, and tobacco.” (Barber, 2020). The fact that a spokesperson from the White House itself released a statement that was blatantly stereotypical, and not to mention completely helpless, really speaks volumes. And although the problem persists in places like China, the Chinese are also suffering from discrimination in places outside their homeland. While interviewing a Chinese woman in America, the New York Times reported an interaction she had with an American during the pandemic. “She tried to keep her distance, but when the light changed, she was stuck waiting with him at the crosswalk. She could feel him staring at her. And then, suddenly, she felt it: his saliva hitting her face and her favorite sweater.” (Tavernise, 2020). These minority groups have been forced to live in fear as a result of this pandemic.

In times like these, we should be more connected than ever before. We should be helping to raise each other up and support each other, but it seems to be difficult for us as a species to completely put our differences aside. I fear that this continuous unrest can lead to more once this pandemic is over. The tension between certain groups feels like it has been swelling up over recent years, but this pandemic has been a catalyst to speeding up its expansion. I see the rift growing larger and larger in the coming months and it’ll be hard for society to find peace again once the bubble bursts. Obviously, not everyone that isn’t a minority has racist tendencies or racist beliefs, but it’s as if the ones that do have been finally bold enough to come out of the shadows and express those bigotry beliefs during this pandemic. Instead of striking each other down, we should be helping each other rise. Part of me truly does fear that the fission between the different groups is going to keep getting bigger until there isn’t any going back. Society would be forever changed as a result, but things don’t have to be that way. All we need to do is support each other. We are all human and that should be enough for us to respect each other. We didn’t ever have the chance to choose what we look like before we were born; why discriminate against someone because of the way they look? It’s just childish and disgusting. And as corny as this message may sound, it’s  still an important one that needs to be said: we need to spread love and not hate. Instead of striking each other down, we should be helping each other rise. That’s the only way we’ll find peace in this world today, and the only way we’ll find peace in this world after this pandemic. We’re all together in this mess.

Sources:

Kyama, Reuben. “COVID-19 – Kenya, Ghana and South Africa Students Stay Put.” University World News, 2020, http://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20200221140301259.

Tavernise, Sabrina, and Richard A. Oppel. “Spit On, Yelled At, Attacked: Chinese-Americans Fear for Their Safety.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Mar. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/us/chinese-coronavirus-racist-attacks.html.

II, William J. Barber, and William J. Barber III. “Racism and Covid-19 Are a Lethal Combination.” The Nation, 21 Apr. 2020, www.thenation.com/article/activism/environmental-racism-death-coronavirus/.Vincent, Danny. “Africans in China: We Face Coronavirus Discrimination.” BBC News, BBC, 17 Apr. 2020, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-52309414.