Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Cause Heartbreaking Losses

Grey clouds loomed over Washington High School’s now bleak campus that was once filled with lively children. A musky smell overtook the air just before rainfall as a crisp breeze swept through the holes of a black chain link fence that sat in front of the basketball and track field. The paint was worn and chipping off of the poles that held the fence together. To the right, the pointed roof of a church peaked over the fence in the distance. 

A styrofoam cup with the words “We love you” etched in sharpie was pinched between a hole in the fence with the bottom facing outward toward the street. It contributed to part of the letter R in the message “RIP COACH DAVIS” that was spelled in large letters made out of cups spread across a substantial portion of the lengthy fence. The other cups that made up the message had names and kind words written on them.

A few vibrant pink flowers were delicately placed among the letters and were eye-catching as they starkly contrasted the desolate field that was a ghost of what the area once was. The dreary weather was not what kept children from practicing on the courts and the field, instead COVID-19 was a larger deterrent. 

Now, students visited the field for a new purpose, to grieve at the memorial on the fence. Recently, candles were placed on the stairs of Washington High School to mourn the loss of a beloved coach.

Ralph Davis, a coach at Washington High School for over 20 years, died after being infected with COVID-19. Former students he coached and mentored visited to mourn and remember how Davis supported them.

Davis’ death has rippled through his community. He is remembered as a strong leader and a force of good, taken too soon by a virus which has disproportionately affected Black communities in Milwaukee and around the country. 

In Milwaukee County, African Americans make up 26% of the population, while white people make up 51%. Conversely, of the 5,531 positive cases of COVID-19, African Americans account for 33%, while whites account for just 22%. 

Mario Johnson, 34-year-old fitness trainer, said that Davis played a crucial role in his success. Johnson was considered a transitional student when he entered 9th grade because he had struggled academically in 8th grade. He said Davis did not judge him and made sure he caught up quickly, so he could join the rest of the high schoolers. 

In an interview over the phone, Johnson recalled Davis checking in on him frequently by asking about his life at home after noticing that Johnson did not have family present to support him at games. 

“He was like a father to me and he wasn’t even trying to be,” said Johnson. “I was missing that and I never understood really what it was like to have somebody that really cared about me.” 

After high school, Johnson needed a cosigner to apply for his first apartment. He asked around and nobody would sign for him. He finally decided to call Davis who agreed to cosign without hesitation despite the apartment being in North Carolina. Without Davis’s willingness to help, Johnson said he wouldn’t have been able to go to the school he dreamed of.

Whenever Johnson thought he was going to give up in life, Davis got him through. He added that if it wasn’t for Davis he’s uncertain if he would have gotten through school. 

“I didn’t think I was gonna make it this far,” said Johnson. 

After Johnson earned his degree, Davis encouraged him to take his position at Washington High School. 

“Come take my job, so I can sit back and watch you do a great job.” Johnson said Davis told him.

After a great deal of mourning Davis’s loss, Johnson decided to honor him by recently applying to coach as Davis had encouraged him to. Through coaching, he hopes to continue a legacy of mentoring and inspiring youth as Davis did for him.

If not for COVID-19, Davis wouldn’t have died at the young age of 60-years-old on March 25th, 2020. At this time of year it is likely he would be letting students into the gymnasium early, possibly challenging them in a game of horse, and giving them the opportunity to practice before school begins in the fall. Generations of students he coached and students he mentored through the Boys and Girls Club would still have their role model.

On the state level, African Americans make up 6.7% of the population, according to 2019 census data, yet they account for 28% of positive cases in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health.

Black people make up more of the state’s cases than they do its population, and Wisconsin is not an outlier. 

How national data compares is still largely unknown because too few states are reporting race along with their cases and deaths to get a clear picture. However, data from several states and large cities reflect the same grim conclusions as in Wisconsin, and experts believe that systemic inequalities in job opportunity, health care, and housing are to blame. 

“It’s a lot easier to say ‘stay at home’ when you have money in the bank account or your parents are wealthy – but when you are check to check, and those checks stop, you have to do whatever you can to make sure your family can eat” said Jacarrie Carr, a Black activist and mentor, about why social distancing alone won’t work. 

For a month, two student journalists virtually interviewed people who lost someone close to them due to COVID-19. As members of the Milwaukee community they wanted to know why Black people were dying at a disproportionate rate to other races in Milwaukee. 

They then talked to medical experts, activists, and community members to gain insight. They compiled information and statistics aiming to inform the community in a well rounded way by interviewing different sources of expertise. They also hoped to honor Black leaders who have died amidst COVID-19. 

Among the findings

– African American’s suffer more because of pre-existing inequality that put them in a position of higher risk. Unequal access to healthcare, job opportunity, education and housing have created problems like poverty, food and housing insecurity, increased chances of having pre-existing conditions and low-paying jobs lacking health benefits or paid leave. All of which, when compounded upon a global health crisis, drastically limit Black people’s choices when it comes to social distancing or staying home. 

-The government has lost the trust of the Black community, and it isn’t just impeding their response to COVID-19 – it is putting the responsibility of public health outreach onto the shoulders of Black organizers. Vaun Mayes, a social justice warrior from Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood, said that the work he does is only necessary because the government has a bad habit of not addressing his community’s real needs. As a result, his is one of the only voices people trust to tell them how to behave during this crisis. 

-Underreporting in predominantly white neighborhoods, coupled with racially biased policing, has created a false narrative that Black people aren’t social distancing. 

-COVID-19 is removing Black role models from the community leaving an empty space for Black youths who rely on their mentorship. For example, Lenard Wells, retired lieutenant, died at age 69 on March, 21 2020 after contracting coronavirus. Wells mentored officers and community activists for many years. When he retired, he taught criminal justice at the University of Memphis in Tennessee. He had an extreme impact on Milwaukee youth. 

CHAPTER ONE – Human stories 

Another impactful community leader was 66-year-old Lawrence Riley who died on March 19th a few days after being admitted to the hospital. He was the first person in Milwaukee infected with coronavirus that died.

“The only time I saw my dad physically was at his body viewing,” said Elvaughn Riley, 28-year old UW-Waukesha student and son of Lawrence.

Elvaughn was in Green Bay for work when he received a phone call from his mother saying his father, Lawrence, had a severe fever. A few days later, Elvaughn’s brother rushed Lawrence to the emergency room and called Elvaughn to tell him Lawrence was really sick and unable to walk. That was the last time Lawrence was seen alive by a family member.

Elvaughn said he and his family have been trying to cope with Lawrence’s death since. He said they haven’t been able to accept he’s gone.

“It’s all kinda surreal cause every time I’m in the house and I see his chair I kinda expect him to be there still,” said Elvaughn. “I wake up and just kinda expect to hear his deep voice.”

Lawrence was a navy veteran and firefighter who worked for a Milwaukee fire department for over 30 years and retired in 2016. Lawrence had five children and a loving wife. He was an avid golfer and had a wide array of friends, according to Elvaughn. 

Elvaughn said that Lawrence was more social before his stroke about three years ago. Not only did Lawrence have a lot of relationships built in the community, he also had extremely strong ties to his son who had also been in the navy. 

For the past five years Elvaughn was in the navy he called Lawrence four to six times a week for five years consistently. Elvaughn said his dad was his best friend. He and his father were the only ones in their immediate family who served.

“That was a connection that couldn’t be broken that no one else could even fathom what me and him went through serving,” said Elvaughn.

Elvaughn’s relationship was different with his father when he was a kid. He said that his dad was much more tough on him then. Elvaughn recalled his father telling him that he wanted Elvaughn  to live up to his full potential. 

“I kinda compare me growing up to be kinda like going through boot camp in a way cause he always did things to make you a stronger person and make you just aware of things,” said Elvaughn. 

He said his dad used to pick him up from school and drive a random place in Milwaukee and then ask Elvaughn to figure out how to get home and Elvaughn would have to navigate without a GPS to get home. Elvaughn said he used that skill frequently in the navy when he was stationed in Mississippi, Vergina, Washington DC and Japan. 

Elvaughn’s favorite memory with his father was when he graduated boot camp. He said Lawrence came to watch him graduate. 

“I could see the pride and the smile behind his face and I will never forget that he was almost brought to tears,” Elvaughn said with a shaky voice. “He was super proud and I was super proud and it was something that he and I could both hold on to because we both did it.” 

They maintained their close relationship after Elvaughn’s navy experience until Lawrence died. With COVID-19 the memorial had to be postponed. The Riley family is planning the memorial for July, sometime around Lawrence’s birthday. Since Elvaughn and his siblings were little, he remembers his father telling them that he didn’t want a sad funeral, instead he wanted a memorial to remember the good times.

Carolyn Johnson, 65-year old former member of the Registrar’s Office staff at UW-Milwaukee, brought good times for her coworkers at UWM for over 37 years until she retired in 2018. She died on March 26th after contracting coronavirus. 

Many UWM faculty who worked with her knew her as “THE go-to person,” according to an email from Johannes Britz, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

Johnson was relied on to fix records, grades and transcript issues, no matter how complicated, according to an email from Britz. Johnson also helped several generations of students and student employees. 

Britz said Johnson had a big heart in and generous spirit in an email. For additional details, please see Carolyn’s obituary online. 

Lenard Wells also had alengthy impact on the community; he was part of the Milwaukee Police Department for 27 years. He mentored officers and community activists. When he retired, he taught criminal justice at the University of Memphis in Tennessee.

The Milwaukee community heavily mourned his death. Wells was written about on a multitude of news sites and on his obituary page. 

“He was a wit, a scholar, and will be sorely missed in this life,” said Dorothy Downing, a friend who wrote on Wells obituary site. “So much potential, taken too early. May he Rest In Peace and my sincere condolences to the family.”

Downing was a friend of Wells through MATC and MPD as well as being on the board of the League of Martin with him, according to the obituary site. 

An old friend of Davis, Jeffery Mack who is a special education teacher at MPS, also had fond memories to share. Mack went to high school with Davis and they used to hang out together as teenagers. Mack recalled his days running cross country with Davis. He said one time, Mack fell while they were running and Davis came back and picked him up.

“Certain things in life as a young person you just remember,” said Mack. “He’s the type of person I could see would give you the shirt off his back.”

While many years have past, he reminisced on high school years with Davis. One included a bus strike in the 70s that forced Mack and Davis to walk to school every day until the strike ended. Mack said he had to walk multiple miles to get to school every day. 

Mack said Davis told him he could call Mack each day to make sure he is on his way to school since they were in the same situation with a lack of transportation. Mack said he was late everyday and Davis would teasingly say ‘I see that you made it’ to him as he walked into class. 

After high school, Mack served in the military 38 years and reconnected with Davis at a North Division MPS meeting for teachers. Mack was shocked to run into Davis at the meeting and find that they both worked at MPS after many years of being separated.

Mack described Davis as a gentle giant and a caring person who loved to help out kids. Mack recently heard of Davis’s passing and was disheartened and shocked.

“I was saddened by it and I’m still saddened by it when I speak about it,” said Mack.

Tre’Quan C Martin, 24-year-old 3rd grade teacher at MPS, was also in awe of Davis’s unexpected death. 

“I don’t think that the community has felt his loss yet,” said Martin. Of course we know that he won’t be there anymore, but I think it’s going to take everything going back to normal to realize the pain and miss him.”

Since Martin was 12-years-old Davis was a large part of his life through basketball. He played on Davis’s basketball team for four years and Davis’s track team for 3 years and he continued to assistant coach with him after his high school years concluded. 

He said that being his coworker, it’s going to be different going back to work and knowing that he’s not there. It’s going to be strange for many, because Davis knew almost all the students. He always helped with enrollment and got students their IDs and showed them around the school their first day to welcome them. 

“That’s how I think he got to know a lot of the kids, because almost everyone that came in the door he had to meet,” said Martin.

He also had ties with other youth in the community through working in the summer at the Boys and Girls Club. In addition, he was always at the gym in the summer letting players in early and challenging them to a round of horse. 

Martin said that Davis was the type of person that was respected by all the kids, even the kids that acted up listened to him. Davis had challenging conversations with students, but also was humorous with them at times and had funny comebacks if the kids made up excuses.

Not only was Davis an influence on many generations of young athletes, Martin personally took valuable life lessons he still upholds today. He learned from Davis that if he wanted something he was going to have to work for it. 

Martin said he had a conversation with Davis recently about the track relay team. The students had won every race for two and a half years straight and when it was time to compete in sectionals to advance to state they lost the race. 

Martin said Davis told the team that it was his fault he didnt work them hard enough and went on to tell them how proud he was of them regardless of the loss. 

“The students are really gonna miss him when they open back up because they know he’d be sitting at the table organizing the games,” said Martin.

He hopes the school can rename the gym after him, get a small statue for him, or have a memorial when school goes back in-person.

Mark Sephus Jr., a rep agent at General Mitchell airport, hopes for a tree planted in front of the gym for Davis. Davis scouted and recruited Sephus for the basketball team in 2009 after noticing Sephus in the gym practicing every day during the summer. On and off the court Davis was a large part of Sephus’s life. Sephus said that he was a mentor for him.

“Coach was more than just a coach,” said Sephus. “If I ride past Washington, it brings back not just the memories of me being at school and playing basketball again, it’s also memories of Coach Davis.”

Sephus said Davis taught him to be disciplined. Sephus said even if the team won the game by 40 points, Coach Davis would still make them run as if they had lost the game.

“It was only because he wanted us to be more disciplined and not just get comfortable with winning because if they were to lose weather in basketball or in life, he wanted us to be comfortable with taking a loss,” said Sephus.

CHAPTER TWO 

Losing Davis to COVID-19 is a loss that doesn’t sit well for Sephus. Sephus said he talked to many friends about Davis and they reminisced on old memories with him. 

Sephus said he’s sad that his children won’t be playing basketball with Davis when they’re older. His 6-year-old daughter met Davis and he encouraged her to try basketball. Sephus expressed how impactful it was to see Davis influence his daughter as he had for him when he was a child.

The data on COVID-19 cases and deaths show an unmistakable trend: Black Wisconsinites are contracting the virus at a rate that is disproportionate to the fraction of the population that they account for. 

More than 20% of Wisconsin’s COVID-19 cases are Black, despite being only 6.7% of the state’s population. Similarly, Milwaukee County’s cases are 33% Black, despite being only 26% of the population. 

The CDC is responsible for collecting and reporting national data on COVID-19, which they compile into a dashboard similar to that of Milwaukee County. Of the data collected from each state, age was available for 99.8% of people with COVID-19. In contrast, less than half of reports included race, meaning that the country has a near perfect picture of the age demographics most heavily impacted by the virus, but there is much to be desired when it comes to how it is impacting people of color. 

Michigan, Illinois and Louisiana are among the states that are not only recording the race of those with the virus, but also aren’t shying away from showing the disparity that emerges. By comparing the percentage of the population that is Black, acquired through census data, and the percentage of positive cases and deaths, displayed clearly by each state’s health department, the national picture becomes more clear. 

In Michigan, African Americans make up just 14% of the population, and 30% of positive cases. In Illinois, 14% of the population is Black and they account for 17% of cases. Finally, in Louisiana, 30% of the population is Black, yet they make up 55% of cases. 

[insert a table or something with info from those three states]

There are many factors that contribute to the clear disparity in positive cases of the virus, but all can be boiled down to three basic pillars. African Americans are in closer proximity to the virus, they have a history of chronic illness caused by segregation and economic insecurity and, finally, healthcare inequalities that already existed make it more difficult to get quality care. 

Proximity to the Virus

Joel Rast, Associate Professor and Director of Urban Studies at UW-Milwaukee, has been studying what systemic factors would explain how or why COVID-19 has disproportionately affected Black and Latinx people in Milwaukee. 

Rast believes that the underlying theme is proximity to the virus. 

“Grocery store clerks, bus drivers, any work that involves engaging with the public directly – those people are not upper income people, and in many cases they are people of color” Rast said in a phone interview. 

African Americans make up about 12% of the American workforce and 17% of essential industries, according to The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), a nonprofit research firm which aims to make information about economic and social problems widely accessible. 

Black workers are heavily overrepresented in Public transit on both national and state levels, making up 26% of transit workers nationally and 15% in Wisconsin, despite being only 5.1% of the state’s workforce, according to the CEPR report. 

Image: This table shows that Black people make up just 5.1% of all workers in Wisconsin, yet they are 8.2% of workers in frontline industries. 

According to a different report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 29% of Black, White and Asian workers did so from home. Of those, 84% are white and 9% are Black. White workers are almost 10 times more likely to be able to work from home, which means that white workers have a greater opportunity to practice social distancing, lowering their chance of infection. 

In addition to essential work, transportation plays a huge role in a person’s proximity to the virus. With a private vehicle, it is easy to travel and control your surroundings. On public transportation, which the Milwaukee County Transit System says 60% of African Americans in Milwaukee County rely on, it is nearly impossible.

Disproportionate History of Chronic Illness

Lilliann Paine, Chief of Staff under City of Milwaukee Health Commissioner Jeanette Kowalik, points to a disproportionate history of chronic disease as another pillar of the disparity. Paine says that while some may choose to blame the history of disease on personal decisions, the true cause is unequal access to healthcare and quality education, coupled with environmental factors like food deserts.

In an interview by phone, Paine cited the public health initiative ‘MKE Elevate’, which aims to improve the health of the city through civic engagement, and puts economic security at the root of health. According to the report, economic insecurity increases the likelihood of developing chronic stress or high blood pressure. Either condition would not only raise the risk of infection, it would severely complicate the road to recovery. 

With a poverty rate of 26.6%, the City of Milwaukee has big problems when it comes to economic security. Milwaukee is also infamously known for being the most segregated city in America, which makes a bad situation worse, according to the CDC. 

“Research also suggests that racial residential segregation is a fundamental cause of health disparities” says the CDC’s page titled “People Who Need Extra Precautions”. “For example, racial residential segregation is linked with a variety of adverse health outcomes and underlying health conditions. These underlying conditions can increase the likelihood of severe illness from COVID-19.”

Another effect of residential segregation is limited access to healthy foods. A ‘food desert’ is defined in the 2019 Milwaukee Fresh Food Access Report as “a geographic area where residents have limited access to food…USDA has evolved its definition in urban areas to one half-mile [from a supermarket].”

A map from the report shows that in several aldermanic districts that are mostly Black, most live one mile or more from the nearest supermarket (Figure 1). While one mile may not sound like a great distance, Google Maps estimates that it takes the average person about 20 minutes to walk a mile. When armfuls of groceries are added to the mix, the time it takes to walk home could as much as double. 

Other maps from the report show that those same areas where there is a high percentage of African Americans and food is scarce are also areas with high poverty rates (Figure 2) and few households with access to private vehicles (Figure 3). 

Figure 1 – From the 2019 Milwaukee Fresh Food Access Report

Figure 2 – From the 2019 Milwaukee Fresh Food Access Report

Figure 3 – From the 2019 Milwaukee Fresh Food Access Report

Without access to a private vehicle, African Americans living in food deserts likely rely on public transportation to get to and from the store, putting them in greater proximity to the virus and, therefore, at greater risk of infection. 

If Black communities are in closer proximity to the virus through their jobs and public transportation, the weathering of Black bodies caused by the stress and chronic illness that comes with economic insecurity can make an already very bad situation much worse, or, could make a mild case of COVID-19 more severe. 

Systemic Discrimination in The Healthcare System

It is clear that there are existing health disparities that put Black communities at much greater risk of infection and death during the pandemic, but it is unequal access to care that poses the most apparent risk. Vaun Mayes, founder of COMFORCE MKE and self-proclaimed social justice warrior based on the Northside of Milwaukee, says that a history of mistreatment of the Black community has caused a great distrust in government and institutions like healthcare. 

“Historically, when it comes to medical, law enforcement and government, Black people have had a bad history with those three – that is undeniable” Mayes said in an interview conducted via Zoom. 

According to the CDC, African Americans are twice as likely to be uninsured compared to white people in the United States. A larger problem, as Mayes predicted, might be distrust in health care systems, language barriers and high costs. 

In 2018, the Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital – St. Joseph Campus moved to close medical and surgical units, despite the next nearest hospitals being four to five miles away. Traveling that distance puts the predominantly Black community of Sherman Park, where Mayes lives and works, in closer proximity to the virus again as well as undermines prevention efforts and helps sustain health care disparities. 

Mayes believes that the worst effect of limited care options at the facility, which he refers to as ‘the death hospital’ for its reputation of poor quality of care, is that faith in the healthcare system becomes further eroded, leading to some community members ignoring social distancing guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“You never believe what they tell you” Mayes said. “You believe more than that, or you believe less than that, but you never just take it for face value.”

CHAPTER THREE 

On the ground, activists and community voices have been putting in the work to quash misinformation, and to ensure health guidelines are understood and followed. 

“A lot of what we have to do is saving people from themselves” Mayes said. “We have to act as kind of guides to help folks understand or make it to where they don’t have a choice but to adhere.”

Vaun Mayes runs COMFORCE MKE, which has been delivering food, masks, sanitizer and other essential products directly to people’s homes. The other side of their work is responding to complaints against local businesses that are not creating a safe environment for employees or the public, and issuing them warnings before involving any level of public authorities. 

In his work, he has seen many people not following social distancing, but social media and some local news reporting only shows Black communities out and about. In reality, Mayes said that noncompliance can be seen in all communities, but higher rates of reporting and policing in the area would make it seem like the reason Black communities are suffering more is because they aren’t following health direction. 

 “In white communities they say ‘we aren’t going to enforce’ or ‘we don’t see noncompliance’ but what I do know is I’ve seen noncompliance, but ive also seen other white people not wanting to tell on them because ‘they are just having fun’” Mayes said. 

Reggie Jackson, co-founder of a consulting company that does workshops and presentations around the country about racial hierarchy and racism, also said that there is a perception that Black communities are universally ignoring social distancing guidelines, and said that he relies on a program called the “Social Distancing Scoreboard”, created by a data science company called UNACAST, to tell true and unbiased facts. 

Image: A screenshot of unacast’s scoreboard. Most states have received F grades based on cases and mobility. 

The scoreboard uses cell phone data to give each state a letter grade, as well as every single county, based on change in average distance travelled, change in non-essential visitation, and decrease in human encounters, according to the website. 

The United States received an F grade overall,  with the District of Columbia in the best position with a C grade. Wisconsin also has an F, as does most of the counties located in the southeast corner of the state. The exception is Milwaukee county, which earned a D grade. Jackson believes that the scoreboard offers a perspective that many do not want to believe. 

“You can’t tell the story of social distancing based on what you saw at your grocery store” Jackson said in an interview via Zoom. 

While many may have thoughts on how the pandemic has been handled in the state and in the country, activist and mentor Jacarrie Carr has ideas for the solution. 

“Freeze rent” Carr said. “That is the biggest, best thing you can do.”

Carr earned a bachelor’s degree from UW-Milwaukee in Educational Policies and Community Studies. At the same time, he worked full time and founded a non-profit organization called JacarrieKicks4Kids, where he collects new and gently used shoes and customizes them to give to students just before school starts. Their mission is to “enhance the self esteem of less fortunate youth, while lessening the self consciousness of being underprivileged” Carr said in an interview via zoom.

According to Carr, the main roadblock many face to practicing strict social distancing is rent. In an interview, Carr said that expanded unemployment benefits and a temporary halt on evictions are great first steps, but they are not enough to ensure working Americans have the privilege of staying home.  

“I’m not sure if they’ve [the federal government] noticed how much things cost in the world but $1,200 is not a lot of money and so when you think about it we aren’t taking the right steps because we aren’t helping people the right way” Carr said. “People need their mortgages paid. People need their rent paid.”

With extreme challenges growing up as a member of the Black youth community, Davis’s lessons of hard work, discipline and kindness have allowed his former students to blossom among hardships in their lives. 

Former student Sephus remembers doing a drill during practice and dunking the ball. He said Davis’s face lit up when he saw. Sephus said the look on Davis’s face was of his hard work with students paying off. It was priceless to Sephus because it was hard to get a smile out of him during practice, and if Davis did smile, Sephus said he knew he did something right.

“He kept telling me to keep doing it and he finally said, ‘I never wanna see you do a layup again, I always wanna see you be up there above the rim,’” said Sephus.

That lesson wasn’t just about basketball to Sephus. He tries to live by what Davis taught him and always reach higher in life to attain great achievements. 

Even after Davis’s death and among the COVID-19 pandemic, Davis’s lessons continue to live on through his former students. Davis is one of the many irreplaceable Black role models that are being taken from students.