COVID-19 High Death Rate Among African-Americans

What Can We Do Differently To Mitigate The Tragic Legacy of Race As a Social Construct?

Cover of the journal NATURE. Volume 409 Issue 6822, 15 February, 2001. Human Genome Issue.

“This is the people’s genome” — Dr. Francis Collins, Director NIH and leader of the Human Genome Project.

“The Human Genome Project shows there is no such thing as race”. — — — Dr. Craig Venter, Founder, The J. Craig Venter Institute which was founded in 1992 as The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR).

The profound disparity in deaths from the coronavirus pandemic among African-Americans has once again, brought into limelight the stack reality of “Race” and health and wellness disparity among different ethnic groups in the nation.

For several decades, significant efforts have been made to address the socio-economic, educational and opportunity disparity, and the unfairness of the justice system. While much has been achieved, there is still a long way to go. The approach towards a sustainable meaningful solution must include a different conception of race and skin color.

The long term solutions to the problem of disparity among ethnic groups in the USA require a complete rethinking of the issue of “race” and the inherent capabilities of each one of us, vis-a-vis skin color.

The fundamental tenets of perception and “race” relationships and the idea of classification and capability stratification of our fellow human beings based on skin color must be turned on its head.

From the standpoint of productivity, you are not the color of your skin. You — the human being — are not black, brown, white or yellow; You are your brain. The reduction of human beings, each of who constitutes a mysterious array of complex systems, to the superficiality of skin color is completely wrong and has no basis in science. Furthermore, when this myth is believed and propagated by any group of African descendants anywhere in the world, it is self destructive.

Over several decades, I had the priviledge of seeing the brains of human beings from virtually all the continents of the world in real life and in the laboratory. I have never seen a black, brown, yellow or white brain.

Healthy brains all look the same and they have the same basic structure. Freely encoded in each brain by the Creator are gifts and talents waiting to flourish if only we, collectively, give each brain the chance and opportunity.

The idea of the brain as the crucible of a human being, rather than the skin color is crucial. The concept is essential for creating harmony, a more favorable environment for all ethnic groups to live and it introduces a new “mindset” for everybody and encourages higher self esteem for all.

Until this idea becomes the preferred way of thinking, the new language and an integral part of a new culture that is vigorously espoused in all classrooms, brick and mortar or virtual, the war against disparity in the USA will remain an uphill battle.

Yes, there must be increased funding for education, healthcare services including access, housing, social justice reform and increased opportunities for ethnic minorities.

However, unless these provisions are accompanied by genuine change of mindset and beliefs vis-a vis skin color on all sides regarding human capabilities, sustainable tangible results will continue to ellude us as a society.

The stereotypes and absolute compartmentalization of human beings based on skin color must be expunged. This is a fundamental requirement to flatten the curve of disparity and eventually bring it down.

In other words, non African-Americans have to realize that given the opportunity, black and brown skin colored human beings are capable of achieving high goals just as anybody with any type of skin color. Furthermore, the capabilities and level of productivity are based entirely on their brains, favorable environment, their talents, character and hard work, not the color of the skin.

On the other side, African-Americans and other ethnic minorities should realize that there is no such thing as “black folks or brown folks cannot do this or that”. Yes, you can achieve very lofty goals utilizing your God given gifts and talents provided the opportunities are available, the milieu is just, and you are ready to put in the hard work.

It Is Time For All of Us To Perceive Each Other “Further Inwards” Beyond The Thin Layer of Skin Color

The scale of the disparity in deaths from COVID-19 in the African -American community should alert us to the fact that there is something deeper keeping this segment of the population at the bottom of the ladder.

All parties including political leaders, policy makers, healthcare experts, religious leaders and the public at large must address the problem with fresh eyes. The eyes must be lit by history, modern scientific and genetic literacy, and not by ideology, stereotypes, opinions or refuted ancient science.

The term “Race” is a social construct, not a biological attribute. It is scientifically meaningless and at its core there is, wittingly or unwittingly, an inbuilt prejudice.

The saddest thing is that despite all the evidence to the contrary, many scholars, politicians at all levels, policy makers, CEOs of multinational corporations, scientists, journalists, and many in the public at large cling tenaciously to the idea of multiple human races.

What is the reason for the mind-boggling disproportionate COVID-19 deaths among African Americans? Most people will agree it is because of the baseline health and wellness disparity.

Why is there such profound health and wellness disparity? Again, many people will say it is rooted in injustice and inequality. Why is there such injustice and inequality in the twenty first century?

As we continue to ask and answer these “WHYs”, I hope you will arrive at the central theme of this article.

The prime reason for the large disproportionate disparity cannot just be the perception that “blacks can’t do this or that”, as degrading and ill-informed as that claim is. It cannot even be the targeting because of skin color as ludicrous and blatantly unjust as it is.

Nor can the disparity be satisfactorily mitigated in the long term by providing more money to the African-American community or providing social services for them, as worthwhile as those actions may be.

A major reason for the disparity, at the most fundamental level is to be found in the failure to connect to the essence of a group of fellow human beings, despite decades of civil rights struggle and discoveries in science. That essence is their inner core, the full expression of their humanity as revealed not by the skin color but by the potential and the productivity of that crown jewel of creation, the human brain.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1: 27; King James’ Version).

In the Biblical creation story, The Lord did not make an image of “His” in brown, black, yellow or white. Why were superficialities like skin color, hair color, height or shape of the nose excluded? Because “the image of God” as expressed in each one of His creation is more profound. It is what is in the “heart”, — love, light and justice, not what we see on the surface.

Critics may retort that I am advocating for a color blind society which at the practical level is probably not possible due to many reasons, historical and otherwise.

I am not advocating for a color blind society precisely because it would be disingenuous to pretend not to see and acknowledge the color of any organism, plants or animals. Indeed, there is nothing wrong with that acknowledgement.

However, the superficial color should not be extrapolated and elevated to become the entirety and the core of a complex array of systems like a human being.

Furthermore, no human being should judge or relate to a fellow human being strictly on the basis of skin color. It is not only ignorant and laden with prejudice, it is destructive to society at large.

The color of the skin of any human being has absolutely no relevance to the essence and the humanity of that individual.

Science and Genetics Should Lead The Revocation of Mankind’s Widespread False Beliefs About Race.

The words and phrases are quite familiar: blacks, whites, brown people, yellow people, and people of color. The entire social fabric is based on a population that is compartmentalised and stratified by skin color.

Cemented firmly in our lexicon, laws, casual and official conversations, these terms consciously and sub-consciously deeply inform our perception of each other and behavior towards one another.

Unfortunately, it has taken the alarming disparity of the devastating effects of COVID-19 on African Americans to once again refocus on the issue of severe, longstanding healthcare disparity.

This is an opportunity, albeit under very sad conditions, to have a national dialogue with completely different thinking about the term “race”, its validity and how it informs our beliefs and behavior.

Until the understanding and beliefs of people in the USA, and indeed all over the world regarding skin color, vis-a-vis “race”are turned upside down, not much will change in the behavior of any continental group within or outside its borders. This is a gargantuan challenge for mankind, but we must not shy from it.

Cover of the journal SCIENCE. Volume 291, Number 5507, 16 February, 2001. The face of the human genome.

The sequencing of the human genome was reported in the journals Nature and Science in February 2001. It was a scientific milestone of enormous proportions which hopefully will impact mankind in diverse ways, from our views of ourselves as human beings to new paradigms in science and medicine for centuries.

For millennia, the concept of “race” was unknown to man. However, beginning with polygenism, which posits that human races are of different origins and do not share a common ancestor, the issue of race became front and center. Thankfully, polygenism eventually gave way to monogenism, the single origin theory of humanity.

The deeply engrained misleading concept of “race” can be traced to 1735 when the Swedish botanist and zoologist, Carolus Linnaeus published the Systema Naturae, (“The System of Nature”).

In the publication, he classified and described plants and animals, and in susequent editions, he developed a complex classification system for humans.

He divided Human beings, Homo sapiens into four continental categories: Europeans, Asiaticus, Americanus (American Indian) and Afer. He assigned to each group what he felt were their physical features, patterns of behavior, innate abilities and intellectual capacities. At the bottom of his ladder and receiving the most negative descriptions and features was Afer, the group with black skin color.

Following the demise of the great African kingdoms and empires, and the horrific trans-atlantic slave trade, the stereotype asserted in Linnaeus classification has reigned supreme.

Even more heartbreaking is the fact that adherents of this stereotype are spread across all continental populations including Africans.

Across the globe, the classifications of “race” are based largely on the color of the skin, eyes, hair and other features like shape of the face and nose. The truth is that these obvious superficial features account for only 0.1% of our genome.

All human beings, currently 7.7 billion of us share 99.9% of our DNA with each other.

Even more astonishing is the fact that of that tiny 0.1% difference responsible for our superficial features, 94 per cent of the variation is among individuals from the same populations and only six per cent is between individuals from different populations.

Human beings are fundamentally more similar than different from each other. Thus we must endeavor to see each other and behave towards each other with an attitude that focuses on the “heart of the being” and not on the superficial appearance. This is crucial in order to make any long term progress in “race” relations and to solve the disparity among the ethnic groups in the society.

Certainly, there are some biological differences between different populations. However, these differences are few and superficial. The traits that we all share are far more profound.

Dictum: “The Color of The Skin Has Absolutely Nothing To Do With The Quality of The Output of The Human Brain”.

An appreciation and understanding of this dictum: “The Color of The Skin Has Absolutely Nothing To Do With The Quality of The Output of The Human Brain” will serve mankind well.

Without it, not much will change in the USA, Sub-Saharan Africa, the African Diaspora and on the other continents regarding perception of Sub-Saharan Africans and their descendants.

This dictum is crucial because it is a vital part of the foundation for the solution to the disparity in society in several sectors including the healthcare sector.

Leaders must believe that people with black or brown skin color are just as capable of acquiring knowledge and developing themselves as any group with a different skin color. The leaders must provide the resources and opportunities for them to fulfill their dreams.

But that is the easy part. The heavy lifting must be done by the African American community and the other ethnic groups themselves. They must utilize every opportunity available judiciously and must not doubt their capability to pursue their desired dreams in any discipline.

Who you are as a “human being”, your character and your functional output have nothing to do with the color of your skin.

The productivity of any human being is a complex amalgam of inheritance, parenting, early basic education, nutrition, good health, intelligence, talent, motivation, courage, mentorship and public safety.

When each one of us views a fellow human being from the lens of the output of his or her brain, then the idea that he or she cann’t do this or that will not even cross our mind. Also, suspicious attitudes and stereotypes would hopefully diminish.

Whether it is in kindergarten class or freshman class in college, the teacher will not harbor the notion that a student with black or brown skin color cannot do mathematics or science or any other subject he or she likes.

Just as important, and probably more important, the student and the parents must realize that it is the output of the brain that counts when it comes to acquisition of knowledge and productivity, not the color of the skin.

One Body In Time of Crisis, In Peace Time, and One Destiny.

The search for mitigation of disparity among the various ethnic groups in the USA, and the path to a more perfect union would have to go through the wall of “racial” classification and stratification.

How will that be accomplished? Who and which groups will answer the call?We can choose to climb the wall, go around it or go through it.

Whatever route is taken, the actions must be informed by truth, justice, patience, perseverance, hope, knowledge and science. This generation must accept the challenge. We should not punt it to the next generation.

Sooner or later, one generation will boldly take on the task of seeing and relating to each other the right way. Not through the superficial lens of skin color but through the deeper lens of the essence of the person, the “heart” and the output of the brain.

That generation better be us. The better it will be for all of us !!!

I