Police brutality has a long history of causing havoc in the Black community. The impact of police brutality on Black men has been intensified during the coronavirus pandemic when the world witnessed George Floyd's murder on video by a white male police officer. This state of affairs caused international outrage and protest that has highlighted how Black men have been disproportionately impacted by police brutality and placed at risk for contracting COVID-19. As university professors and administrators, the authors are constantly concerned about how police brutality impacts Black men under their tutelage on a college campus. The authors argue what must be addressed is the never-ending racial pandemic continues to plague the Black community, especially men. Higher education environments are critical components of the Black community, especially in producing an educated Black male population. This chapter offers solutions to support Black males against the racial pandemic.
TopIntroduction
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a serious global health threat that has heightened concerns for health and police brutality in the Black communities in the United States. In a short time, Governors declared a state of emergency in efforts to reduce the spread of the virus. Social distancing and “stay at home” directives led to frustration levels that the world has not seen in contemporary times. Many sources have reported that Black people were disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (Mays, 2020; Taylor, 2020). The media portrayals of Black people, especially poor people, were depicted in deficit ways and blamed them for being excessively impacted by the virus because of long-standing health problems rooted in racism and without consideration to how their participation in the labor market positions them to be more likely infected. Many Black people work as essential workers and in positions that put them at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. There are many other factors (e.g., lack of healthcare resources, lack of income) that contribute to Black people being affected by the virus at high rates and the risk for Black men extending beyond the health condition.
The disproportionalities operate within the financial disparities, which are core to issues related to Black families' wellbeing. Blacks report they are three times (31%) more likely compared to Whites (10%) unable to support fundamental needs (i.e., food, heat, or rent) during the pandemic; and twice as likely to have suffered from other economic consequences (Blacks-41% and Whites-21%) (Getachew, Zephyrin, Abrams, Shah, Lewis, & Doty, 2020). Blacks make up a large group that serves as essential or frontline workers without resources such as childcare and the ability to work virtually or remotely. Thus, staying home from work makes for a difficult decision to stay “safe” by not contracting the coronavirus, risk earning pay, or risk getting sick and in-turn spreading the coronavirus within the family. Additionally, unemployment rates spiked more so for Black Americans (Gould & Wilson, 2020). Further, coronavirus-related deaths for Blacks are 1.7 times the Whites’ rate (The COVID Tracking Project, 2020). Blacks are more likely than Whites to have a family or someone close to them die because of COVID-19.
The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that people wear masks and social distance in public to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. This health precaution has placed Black men in danger of COVID-19 and police shooting (Mays, 2020). Black men who follow this recommendation increase their risk of being targeted by police or security personnel because they are perceived or treated as a threat without provocation. Many Black men have been racially profiled and harassed for following health protocols (e.g., wearing masks) associated with the pandemic, including being dragged out of stores, being ordered to remove or take down their mask by police and security (Brown, 2020; Cineas, 2020; Taylor, 2020). These experiences place them at risk for contracting COVID 19 and experiencing police brutality.
Several antecedents of racism occurred with illegal and wrongful reports of Black men normally engaging in society--such as going to the store, at public parks, and peacefully protesting on their own property. The murder of George Floyd sparked national and international outrage as the world watched a White police officer sitting on his neck with his knee without concern for his outcry that he could not breathe (Barbot, 2020; Dreyer, Trent, Anderson, & Askew, 2020). The lack of humanity and compassion for Mr. Floyd was another all too familiar situation where a Black man’s life was taken without cause. Additionally, and much more obvious due to public access to witness recording and police body-camera video, police brutality to Black men became a driving force to national protests in all 50 states.