Black families and children at risk of lasting effects from the pandemic

The ongoing pandemic has taken its toll on our local community. Job, home, and school insecurity are felt even if they cannot be seen. Our most vulnerable friends, relatives, and neighbors are living through uncertain times face uncertain futures. Homes are tuned to news of systemic racism, new virus strains appearing in the world, and politicized health mandates, all while parents struggle to balance budgets around a lack of work or balance time around a lack of open schools.

What does that do to our children? What does it do when a child sees their parents fight not because they are mad at each other, but because they are angry at the system they are stuck in? Or when they see the television filled with protestors crying out against the injustice in our society? Or hear about men and women who look just like them killed by the people who are supposed to protect them?

Early childhood is the prime time for growth. It is when children make social and cognitive connections in their brains to learn and grow in the years ahead effectively. Stress can cause lasting damage to these connections, leading to learning and behavioral difficulties that ultimately impede a child’s performance. This turns into a cycle of failure, disillusionment, and abandonment by our school, social, and justice systems. It is a designed cycle, set in place by men a hundred or more years ago, that is still going strong despite the changes in our society. The pandemic has brought the failures and inequity of this system to a head.

Unemployment rates are higher for Black and Hispanic people than anyone else in this county. The same people are disproportionately afflicted by COVID-19 yet do not have access to the same quality or quantity of health care. Even as work opens up, schools may not, and the services they provide are essential to working families who may not have anyone else to look after their children.

We must remain vigilant and flexible in our planning for the days ahead. We must be ready to shut down programs and the city once more, but we must be more willing to offer support for our community members. We must remain aware, remain advocates, and remain activists for change in the small part of the world we inhabit. We can make things better. We can make a difference. We must keep our eyes and ears open and help speak up for those who may not be in the position to dedicate time or energy to do so.

For more information, turn to Kelly Glass’s article in the New York Times “Black Families Were Hit Hard by the Pandemic. The Effects on Children May Be lasting” published June 29, 2020, and updated July 1, 2020.