Not So Equalizing

by Canada Montgomery

They say COVID-19 does not discriminate, that the virus affects everyone the same. However, that is a fallacy. While coronavirus may cause a similar respiratory disease, I would argue that it does not cause the same experienced illness. In major cities across the country, the trend in those who are infected with COVID-19 highlights the ongoing, pervasive racial and socioeconomic disparities. When a black mother has to make the choice to stay home or go to work to have money to feed her children and pay rent, which do you think she chooses? When an undocumented immigrant is forced to put himself at increased risk of exposures to COVID-19 due to the only work he can find but then has a cough and fever, do you think he risks his entire life by going to the doctors or takes his chances? These are just some of the things I think about because these scenarios are not just posed questions but real lived experiences in my community. I cannot afford to disregard these narratives because they are tied into my own regardless of the privileges I have now.