I’m just sayin’: COVID-19 will exacerbate economic ills of Black residents in Indy

The U.S. economy is sick due to a global public health pandemic, but we aren’t even talking about the virus that creates Black economic disparities and its infection of labor markets — and it has been time for a vaccine.

The late Bill Crawford used to say, referencing Visit Indy and our local hospitality industry, “when they get a cold, we get pneumonia.” He understood that the over 80,000 full-time equivalent jobs supported by tourism throughout the region included a lot of Black people.

Observing the teams of young Black males putting together the convention displays, or perhaps your server at a downtown restaurant — if you go, are highly visible.

Unseen are the Black and Brown people who clean hotel rooms — folks don’t generally really notice the race of folks serving them at a downtown event either at the convention center, hotels or one of the stadiums.

A lot of Black folks make their living in service industries like hospitality that have been shut down due to the necessity of social distancing.

We are being hit harder collectively by this economic downtown.

That’s anecdotal observations but what are the symptoms?

CONTINUE READING IN OUR PARTNER PUBLICATION, THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER, MARCH 25, 2020.