In this heartbreaking moment, we are seeing the COVID-19 crisis amplifying many of the wealth and health disparities that we know exist within our communities. Across the country, Black, Indigenous and Latino populations are contracting COVID-19 in higher percentages than white people.1 In Ohio, when all inmates in one prison facility were tested, 70% of those incarcerated tested positive for COVID-19.2 Homeless populations, which include a disproportionate number of transgender people and sex workers, are some of the most vulnerable to the virus.3 4 The number of cases in Indian Country per population is much higher than most of the US population per capita.5 Because these vulnerable communities are already burdened with systemic barriers, they currently have the least access to health care and in many cases are the “essential” workers in restaurants and frontline institutions.
Many people are now looking for ways to support these specific communities with their dollars, including many who have committed to donating all or portions of their government stimulus check. We encourage you to participate in this movement by giving as you are able, and/or by sharing organizations in need with your networks.
Here are a few organizations, focused nationally, that are particularly in need of support right now:
- Black Mamas Bailout
- National Center for Transgender Equality
- Navajo and Hopi Relief
- Pueblo Relief Fund
- Farmworkers Relief Fund
- One Fair Wage
We also would encourage you to find “mutual aid” groups. These are peer to peer groups where those in need can directly request and receive support within local communities. Because of their local nature, we recommend searching online for “mutual aid” and your location to find organizations located in your area. Similarly, aid to the homeless tends to be localized, and we encourage you to seek out organizations near you.
We can use this moment to partner with our communities through shared action to create the better world we want to live in. At Adasina Social Capital, we believe that the communities most impacted by systemic failures are those most qualified to lead the way in fixing them. But, historically, impacted communities have been left out of the solutions, including the investments that intend to make an impact on their lives. We seek to systematically change that in our process, which is why we design our Social Justice Portfolios based on the guidance of social justice organizations that are by and for those most negatively impacted by the actions of capital markets.
1.https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/covid-19-cases-and-deaths-by-race-ethnicity-current-data-and-changes-over-time/
2. https://www.npr.org/2020/04/23/843310088/covid-19-is-sweeping-through-ohio-prisons
3. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/coronavirus-impact-on-homessless-population/
4. https://transequality.org/issues/housing-homelessness
5. https://www.npr.org/2020/04/24/842945050/navajo-nation-sees-high-rate-of-covid-19-and-contact-tracing-is-a-challenge