Colored people get COVID-19 more because they do not wash their hands?
The bizzaro of GOP conservatism justification of racism does over the top accusation.
Ohio lawmaker asks if 'colored population' is hit hard by coronavirus because they 'don't wash their hands as well'
Ohio lawmaker asks if 'colored population' is hit hard by coronavirus because they 'don't wash their hands as well'
BY MORGAN GSTALTER - 06/11/20 09:13 AM EDT
A GOP state lawmaker in Ohio on Tuesday asked if “the colored population” is hit harder by the coronavirus because they possibly "don’t wash their hands as well as other groups" while speaking at a hearing on whether to declare racism a public health crisis.
Ohio state Sen. Steve Huffman, an emergency room physician, asked during a state Senate Health Committee hearing why African Americans are being disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, the Dayton Daily News reported.
“My point is I understand African Americans have a higher incidence of chronic conditions and it makes them more susceptible to death from COVID," Huffman said. "But why doesn’t it make them more susceptible to just get COVID?”
“Could it just be that African Americans or the colored population do not wash their hands as well as other groups or wear a mask or do not socially distance themselves? That could be the explanation of the higher incidence?”
Ohio Commission on Minority Heath director Angela Dawson, who is black, quickly dismissed to Huffman’s question.
“That is not the opinion of leading medical experts in this country,” Dawson said, adding that COVID-19 impacts the respiratory system and makes those with chronic conditions more vulnerable to the illness.
The question posited by the state lawmaker was quickly met with criticism.
Ohio Legislative Black Caucus President Stephanie Howse (D) told the Daily News the rhetoric represented systematic racism.
“He highlights what racism is from a systematic perspective. He’s a full legislator but beyond that, professionally, he’s a doctor,” Howse said.
“When we talk about the health disparities that happen because black folks aren’t believed when they’re actually hurt, they aren’t given the treatment that they need. Do you think that someone who acknowledges the ‘coloreds’ is going to give the love and care that people need when they come through those doors?”
Howse told the outlet that Huffman’s statement implied that African Americans are dirty and not smart enough to understand the importance of washing their hands.
State Sen. Cecil Thomas (D), who serves on the state Senate’s Health Committee, said audience members cringed at Huffman’s remark.
“He’s an example of why we have to have this discussion about racism and how it impacts people,” Thomas told the Daily News.
State Rep. Erica Crawley (D) said Huffman was implicating that Black people are less hygienic or clean, “which clearly isn’t the truth.”
“This right here is the underlying implicit bias/covery racism that was in the question,” Crawley wrote in a tweet.
The bizzaro of GOP conservatism justification of racism does over the top accusation.
Ohio lawmaker asks if 'colored population' is hit hard by coronavirus because they 'don't wash their hands as well'
Ohio lawmaker asks if 'colored population' is hit hard by coronavirus because they 'don't wash their hands as well'
BY MORGAN GSTALTER - 06/11/20 09:13 AM EDT
A GOP state lawmaker in Ohio on Tuesday asked if “the colored population” is hit harder by the coronavirus because they possibly "don’t wash their hands as well as other groups" while speaking at a hearing on whether to declare racism a public health crisis.
Ohio state Sen. Steve Huffman, an emergency room physician, asked during a state Senate Health Committee hearing why African Americans are being disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, the Dayton Daily News reported.
“My point is I understand African Americans have a higher incidence of chronic conditions and it makes them more susceptible to death from COVID," Huffman said. "But why doesn’t it make them more susceptible to just get COVID?”
“Could it just be that African Americans or the colored population do not wash their hands as well as other groups or wear a mask or do not socially distance themselves? That could be the explanation of the higher incidence?”
Ohio Commission on Minority Heath director Angela Dawson, who is black, quickly dismissed to Huffman’s question.
“That is not the opinion of leading medical experts in this country,” Dawson said, adding that COVID-19 impacts the respiratory system and makes those with chronic conditions more vulnerable to the illness.
The question posited by the state lawmaker was quickly met with criticism.
Ohio Legislative Black Caucus President Stephanie Howse (D) told the Daily News the rhetoric represented systematic racism.
“He highlights what racism is from a systematic perspective. He’s a full legislator but beyond that, professionally, he’s a doctor,” Howse said.
“When we talk about the health disparities that happen because black folks aren’t believed when they’re actually hurt, they aren’t given the treatment that they need. Do you think that someone who acknowledges the ‘coloreds’ is going to give the love and care that people need when they come through those doors?”
Howse told the outlet that Huffman’s statement implied that African Americans are dirty and not smart enough to understand the importance of washing their hands.
State Sen. Cecil Thomas (D), who serves on the state Senate’s Health Committee, said audience members cringed at Huffman’s remark.
“He’s an example of why we have to have this discussion about racism and how it impacts people,” Thomas told the Daily News.
State Rep. Erica Crawley (D) said Huffman was implicating that Black people are less hygienic or clean, “which clearly isn’t the truth.”
“This right here is the underlying implicit bias/covery racism that was in the question,” Crawley wrote in a tweet.
