*In case you haven’t been paying attention, there’s a virus going around making thousands of people sick, and killings thousands more nationwide.
COVID-19 will go down in history as one of the most impactful medical phenomenons the world has ever experienced, and despite millions of casualties, there are still many hardheaded people scattered across the nation who refuse to comply with the government’s instructions to self-quarantine.
These individuals include African Americans and other minorities, reports show.
In fact, there’s footage via YouTube that reveals large groups of black partygoers congregating despite social distancing warnings by the CDC and various authorities.
These gatherings have resulted in the increased spread of COVID-19 across communities of color, and its currently highlighting the reality that African Americans could be a “high risk” demographic for the virus compared to other racial groups.
This discovery by experts is mainly attributed to the scourge of poor health plaguing black citizens, including generational battles with illnesses like asthma, heart disease, diabetes, sickle cell, and others.
To address national concerns that certain groups of people aren’t self-isolating, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams – who is black – recently emphasized the importance of everyone “staying inside” as the virus runs its course.
He’s also using his platform to encourage blacks and Hispanics to self-quarantine, but it seems critics aren’t pleased with approach.
Adams asked Americans of color to do it “for your Abuela. Do it for your granddaddy, do it for your big momma, do it for your pop-pop.”
He later defended using those terms, saying, “I used the language that is used in my family,” but not before being met with criticism by the black community.
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Adams is under fire for “pandering” to the black community and for his “offensive” instruction to stop drinking and smoking during this pandemic.
Adams assured Americans of color “there is nothing inherently wrong with you” but said “social ills” may have contributed to the disparity.
“We need you to do this if not for yourself than for your Abuela. Do it for your granddaddy, do it for your big momma, do it for your pop-pop,” the nation’s top doctor said Friday at the daily coronavirus taskforce briefing – while also advising those groups to ‘avoid alcohol, tobacco and drugs.”
Adams told Americans of color that they need to ‘step up’ to stop the spread of coronavirus, and said ‘social ills’ are likely a contributing factor when looking at the dire statistics that the outbreak has killed twice as many black and Latino people than white Americans.
Now members of the black community are calling out the Surgeon General for “pandering” to them with his use of slang and also for his ‘offensive’ instruction that those specific communities to stop drinking and smoking during this pandemic.
TV host and actress Claudia Jordan took to Twitter to express her outrage at Adams’ comments.
“The surgeon general telling black folks not to drink and smoke and do it for ya “paa-paa and big momma.” Where they get this guy from? How dumb do they think we are with this? How bout suggesting that EVERYONE cut back? Let’s not do that ok,” Jordan said.
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One man on Twitter, David DeLoatch, said: “Let me tell a lot of you something, we don’t talk the way movies, songs, and the media portrays us. The Surgeon General is trying to relate to a life he never lived, listen to his voice and the way he speaks. He has never called anyone “big momma,” and neither have I.”
Others questioned why Adams’ word choice, writing: “As if people wouldn’t understand him if he said, ‘Do it for your grandparents’?”
Some bashed him for using ‘stereotypical ethnic names for our relative’.
And activist Blaine Hardaway wrote: “I really would like to say I’m surprised but of course I’m not. Trump sent the only black guy on his team out to chastise black and Latino people for smoking and drinking, as if that’s the reason our communities are predisposed to this virus. Just disgusting.”
Adams was met with immediate push back for his comments later in the briefing when PBS NewsHour’s Yamiche Alcindor asked him to respond to those who might have been offended by his colloquialisms.
“We need targeted outreach to the African-American community and I used the language that is used in my family,’ Adams said. ‘I have a Puerto Rican brother-in-law, I call my granddaddy “granddaddy” I have relatives who call their grandparents big momma.”
“That was not meant to be offensive,” he added. “That’s the language that we use and I use and we need to continue to target our outreach to those communities.”Alcindor also pressed Adams on why he mentioned drugs and alcohol when talking specifically about communities of color.
“All Americans need to avoid these substances at all times,” he said.
On Wednesday (04-08-20), New York released data that showed black and Latino people were twice as likely to die from coronavirus than white residents.
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