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COVID-19: In Color, By the Numbers (April 2020 Edition)

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We often hear in these COVID-19 times that “we are all in this together.” But the numbers below tell a somewhat different story, one in which Black and Indigenous communities and communities of color once again are suffering the brunt of the devastation. We hope you’ll take a moment to read through these numbers. Share them with your friends, family members, neighbors, and co-workers. And, above all, please consider how you can participate in the vital work of creating a society in which we truly are all in this together.

Inspired by the Harper's Index. Published on April 26th, 2020. For more insight and resources at the intersection of COVID and race, check out these EmbraceRace curated lists: COVID resources that take race seriously and The racial impacts of COVID.

  • Number of US states that track COVID-19 deaths by race (as of April 23rd): 35.
  • Percentage of official COVID deaths in which the victim’s race was known (as of April 23rd): 74%.
  • Ratio by which Black people are overrepresented among COVID deaths across the 32 states that report race data (as of April 23rd): more than 2:1.
  • Number of states that have released data on COVID testing by race (as of April 24th): 2.
  • Percentage of New Mexico residents who are Native American: 11%.
  • Percentage of New Mexico residents with COVID who are Native Americans (as of April 25th): 47%.
  • Number of reports of harassment and abuse received by the STOP Asian American and Pacific Islander Hate site in the two weeks after its launch on March 19th: 1,135.
  • Share of US farmworkers who are undocumented immigrants: 50-75%.
  • Date on which the U.S. Department of Homeland Security identified farm and agricultural workers as “essential” workers: March 28, 2020.
  • Number of deportations of undocumented immigrants completed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the first two weeks of April: 2,985.
  • Date on which National Public Radio reported that the Trump Administration was considering how to reduce wages for foreign guest workers on US farms: April 10.
  • Share of healthcare workers in New York State who are immigrants: 1 in 3.
  • Number of nonelderly uninsured people in the U.S. in 2018: 28 million.
  • Share of nonelderly uninsured people who were Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color: 6 in 10
  • Number of children, ages 3-18, who had no internet access at home in 2017: 9-12 million.
  • Percentage of White children who had no Internet access at home in 2017: 12%.
  • Percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native children, Black children, and Hispanic children who had no access: 37%, 19%, and 17%.
  • Rank of restaurant and bar jobs among all 701,000 US jobs lost in March: #1.
  • Share of Black, Asian American, and Hispanic workers among restaurant and food workers in 2019: 1 in 2.
  • Share of US adults who say they or someone in their household has experienced a pay cut or lost their job because of the coronavirus outbreak: 1 in 3.
  • Share of Hispanic workers who say this: 1 in 2.
  • Percentages of Asian American and White workers who can work from home: 37% and 30%.
  • Percentages of African American and Hispanic workers who can: 20% and 16%.
  • Shares of Hispanic, Black, and White adults who are “very concerned” that they will contract COVID and need to be hospitalized: 43%, 31%, and 18%.
  • Shares of Hispanic, Black, and White adults who are “very concerned" that they might unknowingly spread COVID to others: 49%, 38%, and 28%.