MASKS: POLITICS, HEALTHCARE & RACISM

Below are resources that help illustrate the clear and present instance of systemic and institutionalized racism and polarized politics in the United States. The Covid-19 pandemic has made even clearer the barriers to BIPOC in receiving access to healthcare and basic supplies. Anti Asian-American sentiment has also increased, with terms like ‘The China Virus'' prompting hate crimes. Even the simple life saving act of wearing a mask has been used as a political statement.

   Healthcare and Racism

• Covid-19 and Anti-Asian Sentiment | Libraries' Subject Guide
• Anti-Racism Research & Resource Guide | Libraries' Subject Guide
• Racial Bias in Healthcare | Libraries' Subject Guide
• Covid-19’s stunningly unequal death toll in America, in one chart | Vox News, October 2020
• The COVID Racial Data Tracker |  A collaboration between the COVID Tracking Project and the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research
• COVID-19 in Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups | Center for Disease Control and Prevention Website

The Politics of Masks

In the Media

• The Battle Between The Masked And The Masked-Nots Unveils Political Rifts | NPR, May 2020
• The politics of masks: From Copernicus to climate change to coronavirus | TheHill, May 2020
• In 1918, Americans were asked to wear masks. Some refused — and paid the price | Washington Post, July 2020
• Deja flu: Like COVID-19, the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic used tools, such as safe distancing and masks | AL, July 2020
• Why masks are (still) politicized in America | Vox News, July 2020
• During the 1918 Flu’s Second Spike, Americans Resisted Social Distancing. Could That Happen Again? | Mother Jones, June 2020