Life during Covid-19 and the fears of being « Black/Brown » in America

French Version

By Herve Gilbert

After the murder of Georges Floyd at the hands of 4 white police officers  during the summer of last year,  Haiti Connexion Network invited some of our young « Haitian-American » to give their opinion in a few minutes on the history of « Blacks and Browns » in America. Yes, the history of blacks in America is the history of America. And it's not a good story. What is it like to be « Black or Brown »   in the United States?

For the occasion, we called on our young graduates from the University working in several fields and in different places in the United States and Canada to tell us a little about their daily experiences in the face of this systemic crisis. Despite significant signs of progress, ethnic inequalities are still very present in the US and Canadian labor markets according to the panelists. Compared to « whites », African Americans are twice as likely to be unemployed, and when they are employed, their earnings are almost 25% lower. There are many reasons for this marked difference: for example, skill level, cultural norms in the workplace, and ethnic discrimination in hiring.

Violence against « Black / Brown » was a pandemic before the COVID-19 epidemic? The underlying causes are not the virus itself or the resulting economic crisis, but rather an imbalance of power and control. In the United States, the Covid-19 epidemic has already claimed nearly 400,000 lives in less than a year. Not surprisingly, the Americans most affected by this crisis are the poorest minorities. But what really concerns is the staggering number of African Americans infected with the virus. African Americans are particularly vulnerable in the face of the coronavirus epidemic, as they are more likely to work in low-paying jobs, which cannot be done remotely, and do not offer health insurance or compensation in the event of absence for sickness.

All this effort made by HCN, to bring together this beautiful sample of young folks, was done with the aim of coloring the pastime of its audience. Let's listen to the news on TV, that's good, but sometimes hearing the voices of our younger generations is even better. Through their reflections on current situations, through the relevance of their reactions, viewers will have the opportunity to experiment with these young professionals in a debate of ideas, where everyone brings their point of view to the table. This is the opportunity for our audience to form an opinion.

Life during Covid-19 and the fears of being Black/Brown in America

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDPsnKE96CU&ab_channel=HerveGilbert