National guide created by and for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, POC and LGBTQ communities to help navigate the COVID-19 pandemic
October 20, 2020 – As we approach the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, one thing is clear: the Coronavirus has exacerbated the health disparities and systemic injustices that Black, Indigenous, Latinx, POC and LGBTQ communities face. We Keep Each Other Safe: A Guide By and For Black, Indigenous, Latinx, POC and LGBTQ Communities Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic was designed by and for our communities to help us keep each other safe during the pandemic.
Forward Together collaborated with The Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU and Last Mile to create the guide to acknowledge the uneven and unsafe structures that these communities navigate every day when seeking healthcare.
There is a lot that we don’t yet know about the new virus that causes COVID-19. We do know that systemic injustices continue, now in combination with COVID-19, to harm and kill communities of color, poor people, communities doing particular work and living in particular environments, immigrants, and queer and trans people.
In this guide:
- Black and brown healthcare providers debunk myths about the virus and how it affects our communities.
- We share safety considerations for protesting and voting during a pandemic.
- Factory workers share their fight for basic workers rights.
- Mamas discuss sending their kids back to school while working.
- We lay out the questions folks should be asking during doctor visits.
This guide is labor and love for our communities, which is why we are offering free printed guides to mutual aid groups, community organizations, labor unions, health care facilities and any other groups and organizations that need to get this information into communities.
Erin Malone, Communications Director, Forward Together, released the following statement:
“After the news hit the mainstream that COVID-19 was disproportionately impacting Black, Latinx and Indigenous communities, I started listening to the questions my own community was raising.
I heard a lot of fear and anxiety about not knowing our rights and how we could best support each other through this pandemic. I knew that our communities needed a guide that went beyond breaking down the science of the virus to show how we could truly take care of ourselves and each other.
So we sought to build a guide to navigate the pandemic from the ground up that centered the needs of our communities.”
Dara Khatib, MD/MPH, Emergency Medicine Resident, CIR/SEIU released the following statement:
“This guide aims to fill the holes that currently exist in patient care and information. It’s designed to empower patients as they seek care and help providers expand the dimensions of the care they deliver. Quality healthcare is about so much more than just seeing a doctor and getting a prescription. I feel like it’s how doctors wish they could take care of their communities.”
About Forward Together
Forward Together builds relationships across lines of race, gender, and sexuality to connect marginalized people and catalyze social change. Our work influences culture and policy to ensure that every person, family and community has the power and resources they need to reach their full potential. For more info visit: www.ForwardTogether.org.
About Committee of Interns and Residents
The Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) is the largest housestaff union in the United States. A local of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), representing over 17,000 resident physicians and fellows. Our members are dedicated to improving residency training and education, advancing patient care, and expanding healthcare access for our communities.
About Last Mile
Last Mile is a national volunteer network focused on getting personal protective equipment directly into the hands of frontline healthcare workers.
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