Structural Racism, Covid-19 Recession, and the Economic Discrimination Against African Americans

Abstract

In the words of Oliver Smith, “a disaster can be considered a crise revelatrice, which lays bare the fundamental features of a society.” Similarly, the serious impact of the Covid-19 recession has created an economic emergency in the United States of America that has exposed the socioeconomic fabric of the country. The interplay of the Covid-19 recession with structural racism has increased the intensity of racial discrimination in the country. The broader consequences of the economic meltdown have increased the existing polarity between the racial groups that created social unrest across the country. White Supremacist tendencies are on the rise and claim their shares in the available resources and facilities. African Americans have experienced disparities in bearing the Covid-19 recession. The phenomenon has increased the scale of economic discrimination against the community. Herein, the firsthand experience of individual African Americans has played an essential role in estimating the magnitude of economic discrimination against the community during the pandemic. Keywords: White Supremacist tendencies, economic disparity, racial hatred, economic stratification, Polarization, Covid-19 recession, economic marginalization, social discrimination.