DeepSummary
In this podcast episode, Dr. Adrienne Hollis, a climate justice and health scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, discusses the intersection of COVID-19, air pollution, and racism. She explains how particulate matter from air pollution can carry the virus and how marginalized communities are disproportionately exposed due to systemic racism, such as redlining practices that have placed them near polluting facilities.
Dr. Hollis highlights the challenges faced by these communities, including lack of access to healthy food, low-income jobs, and inadequate medical attention, which make them more susceptible to diseases like COVID-19. She emphasizes the need for public participation, policy changes, and addressing the root cause of racism to create meaningful change.
Towards the end, Dr. Hollis talks about the importance of community engagement, such as hiring local residents for contact tracing, and the need to protect voting rights. She also shares her personal experience of coping with the pandemic by having virtual gatherings with friends to laugh and find hope.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Quick fixes are not enough; a long-term, sustained effort is required to address the deeply rooted issue of systemic racism.
- Systemic racism has led to marginalized communities being disproportionately exposed to air pollution and lacking access to healthcare, making them more vulnerable to COVID-19.
- Addressing the root cause of racism and involving affected communities in decision-making processes is crucial for creating meaningful change.
- Policy changes, such as protecting voting rights and increasing public participation, are necessary to combat systemic racism and its effects.
- Community engagement, such as hiring local residents for contact tracing, can help build trust and improve the effectiveness of public health initiatives.
- Finding ways to cope, such as virtual gatherings with friends, can provide support and hope during challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Collecting and reporting racial data related to COVID-19 is essential for understanding and addressing the disproportionate impact on marginalized communities.
- Holding elected officials accountable for their policies and values, and ensuring they address the needs of marginalized communities, is crucial.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “If you think a black person is less than, that's a big issue. And that's what we see, not just with some people in the police and just in general, for example, sentencing guidelines or the way voter suppression issues and how Covid-19 has been used in that arena.“ by Adrienne Hollis
- “The next thing we need to do is bring all the players to the table, all the stakeholders, everybody who's affected in some way, particularly and especially communities, the public, you know, because when it comes to addressing issues, who knows better than those who are most affected?“ by Adrienne Hollis
- “We also need to look at who we're electing and what they're talking about, what their values are. And if it doesn't address our needs, we need to think about that.“ by Adrienne Hollis
- “And I'm like, but why would they do that knowing that she's at high risk and knowing that mobile is a hotspot and that's because their lives aren't worth as much as others, and they get more money. The physician's office gets more money when people come to the office, as opposed to telemedicine or telephone medicine.“ by Adrienne Hollis
Entities
Organization
Person
Location
Event
Book
Sponsor
Episode Information
Got Science?
KKFI Community Podcasts
7/7/20