Op-ed: The Pandemic Was Not An Equalizer
By Lizzette Balbuena Garcia
Credit: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
“That’s the thing about COVID 19, it doesn’t care about how rich you are, how famous you are, how funny you are, how smart you are where you live, how old you are, or the amazing stories you could tell- it’s the great equalizer and what’s terrible about it is that it’s made us equal in many ways”.
The previous quote was said by Madonna in an Instagram post where she could be seen surrounded by flower petals in her bathtub. It was around March when she posted this – NYC had just begun seeing a steady increase in Coronavirus before reaching its apex in April 2020. During this time, many people’s lives were affected. Going back to Madonna’s post, her emotions are valid – to an extent. It is terrifying to know anyone could be affected by this virus, however, her comments fail to acknowledge a racial inequality in the overall treatment of the pandemic. The pandemic showed how our differences factored into our chances of contracting COVID 19 or the way it affected different communities more than others.
The New York State Health Department reports that NYC facilities contain 34% of Hispanic/Latinx and 28% of Black patients, which consist of 29% and 22% of the Hispanic and Black population in NYC. The shared sentiments stated by Madonna and others about the pandemic being an equalizer are shown to ignore this statically supported piece of evidence that people don’t acknowledge. I have personally seen how COVID-19 has affected predominantly Black and Hispanic/Latinx communities. I have witnessed how this pandemic has affected many people in my neighborhood – consisting of mostly working-class Hispanic/Latinx residents.
Credit: New York State Department Of Health
Already faced with rapid gentrification and increases in rent (for both apartments and small businesses), the pandemic has only worsened these conditions by leaving many unemployed, forcing many out of their apartment, and causing businesses to close. Even so, those who have maintained their jobs and are economically secure, are still doing so at the risk of their health.
This includes my older sister and my dad, who like some, kept working even when the City’s COVID-19 rates were up. They still had to travel to work and rode the subways, even when in some cases, social distancing wasn’t always possible. My older sister who works as a cashier at a deli talks about her experience during the city’s growling battle with the pandemic,
“I can remember it was really hard for me to travel to work every day and know that there’s a risk I could get sick or get my family sick. I knew that I still had to work because our business is essential to those nearby since a lot of other stores were running low on supplies – like masks, hand sanitizer, and everyday essentials, so they had to rely on places like the local deli. I also couldn’t shake the fact that people in our area were getting sick at an alarming rate, but people couldn’t get tested. Testing sites weren’t placed in our neighborhood until weeks later, but it was already too late since cases continued to increase”.
My family and I couldn’t help but wonder how things felt different to those who experienced the pandemic differently. Those who were able to keep their jobs and work from home, whether they chose to or because their job decided for them, experienced no fear of not being able to pay rent. Not just this, but they also did not have to run the risk of going outside amidst a worldwide pandemic.
In my neighborhood, a local food bank was established and many stayed in the long line to be given a proper meal. A majority of those in line were above the age of 50, putting them at a higher risk of contracting the illness. For the majority of the pandemic, or at least the height of it, I like some stayed home, but I was only able to do so since my sister and father did most of the necessary shopping. Certain items such as masks, gloves, water bottles, and other items were sought after so much that it seemed impossible to find and, when we eventually did find them, the prices were too high but we bought them anyway to seek any means of protection.
Now, with the vaccine being approved and distributed in NYC, the racial divide is still evident. According to the New York City Health Department, 17% of Hispanics/Latinx and 11% of Black are among those who have received at least 1 dose. Compare these statistics to that of White residents, 37%, and the inequality is clear. In response, the City is trying to launch vaccine programs that would encourage Black and Hispanic/Latinx communities to get vaccinated. The city is also still struggling to manage enough doses to give to people or secure appointments to ensure that people get vaccinated.
Black and Hispanic/Latinx communities need leaders to do more and step up to the challenges we are facing. It’s time for them to prioritize neighborhoods that were ignored from the beginning of the pandemic.
Reflection
The Publication of my choosing is The New York Times because I admire the core values that they can bring with journalism. They seek the truth while providing a new perspective on current issues that the audience would relate to. These are things that I wanted to achieve with my op-ed. I wanted to appeal to the audience of people in the Black and Hispanic/Latinx community but to also appeal to those outside of it as well by sharing an experience as a person who identifies in the Hispanic/latinx community. I wanted to use mostly pathos and logos in my op-ed because The New York Times includes personal stories or experiences to the overall importance of the issue at hand that could not only sympathize but call to action the things that need to improve. I used Logos since The New York Times cites statistics in order to support their overall arguments and drive their points across.
The tone of the op-ed was to be formal and understanding because I wanted to address the utmost importance of what these communities who are not represented as much or talked about enough, were going through with the pandemic. I decided to interview my older sister who didn’t want to be named, but had a different experience than I did. She has the perspective of being an essential worker to a local community and she was one of many people who were forced to risk their own health during the pandemic so it feels nice to use a first person account as evidence and to share a glimpse of other regular hard working people.
Works cited
“COVID-19: Data.” COVID-19: Data on Vaccines – NYC Health, www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-data-vaccines.page.
“Workbook: NYS-COVID19-Tracker.” COVID19, covid19tracker.health.ny.gov/views/NYS-COVID19-Tracker/NYSDOHCOVID-19Tracker-Fatalities?%3Aembed=yes.
