Since I wrote about the killing of #BreonnaTaylor nearly a month ago, I have referred to the dual ills of coronavirus and racism as “the pandemic within a pandemic.” What if we covered the virus of systemic racism the way we covered COVID-19? Some questions we might be asking:
How do people get sick? What are the symptoms?
Is there a cure? What is it? How long will it take and how much will it cost?
How will we get the cure to the most people?
Who is most affected and why? What should you do if you are exposed to someone with the virus?
How can we keep people safe? What can we all do as citizens and neighbors to minimize harm?
What is the federal government’s response? Governors? Mayors?
How could this impact the election?
How could this impact the election?
Journalism is based in fact, but the best stories and coverage often require our imagination — or rather, or re-imagination — of what the story is. Coronavirus is an invisible enemy, but racism is in plain sight everyday, for everyone to see, confront and change.
