#SaludTues Tweetchat 12/7/2021: Racism is a Public Health Crisis


Racism is a Public Health Crisis

The link between systemic racism and health inequities is undeniable. Health inequities among people of color arise from systemic racism, which has been and continues to be enforced by historic and present-day policies, laws, and practices at the local, state, and national levels. For example, past and present land use and transportation decisions perpetuate residential and school segregation which concentrates racial disadvantage and limits access to opportunity to stay healthy and thrive. Thus, local jurisdictions across the country are recognizing and addressing systemic racism through formal resolutions declaring racism a public health crisis. Through these resolutions, jurisdictions are committing to action to address underlying beliefs that fuel racism, transform ...

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Report: Labor Unions Preserved Latino Jobs During COVID-19 Pandemic


Latino labor union workers

Workforce inequities are nothing new for people of color, specifically Latinos.  Long before COVID-19, many Latinos had unstable jobs with little-to-no benefits and lower wages than their white non-Latino coworkers. The pandemic made things worse.  But one thing saved many Latino jobs—a labor union contract, according to a comparison of unionized and non-unionized Latino workers by UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Initiative.  Labor unions are organizations of workers that come together to negotiate better working conditions or other benefits as a collective bargaining. “Our analysis suggests that unionization—even within the same industry and occupation—preserved employment and wages for workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, accounting for variations in ...

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The Roots of Racial Disparities: A New Framework on the Social Determinants of Health


The Roots of Racial Disparities: A New Framework on the Social Determinants of Health

Where we live and the conditions that we live in impact our health and life outcomes. This concept is widely called the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). Unfortunately, when people live in and experience negative conditions, it can lead to poor health outcomes and disparities, particularly among Latinos and other marginalized communities. In their new SDOH framework, the Praxis Project highlights the root systems of oppression that have led to health disparities for communities of color. “Many traditional SDOH frameworks lack the explicit naming of systems of oppression that cause disparities in health determinants. In an effort to incorporate these systems of oppression and to highlight the root causes of these determinants from a justice and community power ...

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Scammers Target Latinos, Blacks More Than Other Groups


Scammers Target Latinos More

Latinos and other people of color are increasingly the targets of criminals who use the internet, phone, and text scams to steal money and damage wellbeing. In fact, 40% of Black and Latino adults have been targeted by online scams and fraud, according to a new survey by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). “Latino adults are most targeted by government impostor scams, utility scams and grandparent scams. For both utility and grandparent scams, Latino adults far outrank other racial groups,” according to Matthew Petrie of the independent market research group BVA BDRC of AARP. Latinos and A Struggle with Scammers Sadly, scammers are common in the United States. The rise of financial fraud in the form of scams is “undeniable,” writes Petrie of ...

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The Latino Gap in STEM Jobs and How to Fix It



As a result of COVID-19 and systemic injustice, Latinos are not faring well in the job market. Worse, Latinos are experiencing the widest gap in one of the nation’s fastest-growing fields — a career in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The depth of the gap could consign Latinos to lower-paying jobs, according to a recent report from the Pew Research Center. “Black and Latino workers remain underrepresented in the STEM workforce compared with their share of all workers, including in computing jobs, which have seen considerable growth in recent years,” the Pew researchers state. What Is the Latino Gap in STEM Jobs? Latinos make up 17% of the overall workforce in the U.S. However, they only make up 8% of those employed in STEM fields. STEM jobs are ...

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UPDATE: Health Equity Report Card Covers Social Vulnerability, COVID-19


Health Equity Report Card Covers Social Vulnerability, COVID-19

We have updated our Health Equity Report Card to include place-based information on your county’s Social Vulnerability Index Score and COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospitalizations. The Salud America! Health Equity Report Card, first launched in 2017, auto-generates Latino-focused and local data with interactive maps and comparative gauges, which can help you visualize and explore inequities in housing, transit, poverty, health care, food, and education. You will see how your county stacks up in these health equity issues — now including social vulnerability and COVID-19 — compared to your state and the nation. Then you can share the Report Card with your local leaders to advocate for healthy change! Get your Health Equity Report Card! Why We Need to Consider ...

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Data: Child Poverty Grew for Latino Immigrants During COVID-19 Pandemic


Data: Child Poverty Grew for Latino Immigrants During COVID-19 Pandemic

Poverty rates among Latino families have grown immensely during the pandemic. The rates are worst for the children of Latino immigrants, according to new data from the National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families (Center). The disparity is mainly due to the heavy economic impact that the pandemic has had on immigrant families. “The increase in poverty rates among Latino children in immigrant families during the pandemic reflects, in part, a confluence of factors in the labor market,” according to the Center. There may also be a stigma against seeking federal assistance as well as a fear of the expired public charge rule. With equitable policies that target economic recovery for immigrants and education about the end of public charge, we can address these ...

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What Latinos Should Know about the Moratorium on Evictions


What Latinos Should Know about the Moratorium on Evictions

After a federal moratorium on evictions put in place by the CDC last fall expired on July 31, 2021, the CDC has issued a new two-month moratorium through Oct. 3, 2021. This new moratorium will extend protections for the millions of families behind on rent due to the economic fallout of the pandemic, particularly Latino and Black families, who have been hit the hardest. Update 11/15/21: The Supreme Court ruled on August 26 to end the temporary stay on a lower court ruling seeking to overturn the CDC's federal eviction moratorium. "In doing so, the Supreme Court’s ruling invalidates the federal eviction moratorium, eliminating vital eviction protections that have kept millions of households – predominantly people of color – stably housed," according to the National Low Income ...

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Zo Mpofu & Dakisha Wesley: Forging Alliances to Declare Racism a Public Health and Safety Crisis


Zo Mpofu and DK Wesley Forge Alliances to Declare Racism a Public Health and Safety Crisis

Zo Mpofu believes protecting the health of mothers and babies in childbirth is a moral responsibility. That is why it alarmed Mpofu, a human services program consultant for Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services in North Carolina, that local black women are 3.8 times more likely to lose their baby in the first year of life than white women. Also, Dakisha “DK” Wesley, assistant county manager in Buncombe County, worried that black people accounted for 25% of the jailed population, despite being 6.3% of the local population. Mpofu and Wesley believe these are the results of structural racism. That is why these government employees collaborated with cross-sector partners to urge Buncombe County leaders to pass three resolutions declaring racism a public ...

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