Anti-Racism Team John Wesley UMC - 35 Central Ave., Washington, PA15301 Christ UMC - 44 Highland Road, Bethel Park, PA 15102

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To Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ: "Taking an active stance in society is nothing new for followers of John Wesley. He set the example for us to combine personal and social piety. Ever since predecessor churches to United Methodism flourished in the United States, we have been known as a denomination involved with people's lives… The United Methodist Church believes God's love for the world is an active and engaged love, a love seeking justice and liberty. We cannot just be observers….”

Across the United States, African Americans are dying from COVID-19 at greatly disproportional rates to their percentage in the population. It is a tragic and mournful fact, described as a pandemic within a pandemic. Although data outlining the racial demographics of the COVID-19 infection is incomplete, multiple analyses found that majority-black counties had infection rates three times the rate of majority-white counties. An analysis completed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of nearly 1,500 hospitalizations across 14 states found that African Americans made up a third of the hospitalizations, despite accounting for only 18 percent of the population in the areas studied. An Associated Press analysis of available death data found that African Americans constituted 42% of the victims, a rate that is two times greater than the percentage of African Americans in the population of those states. Given these figures, accurate data regarding the impact of the virus on people of color is essential. The enduring systemic racial injustices in the United States are a direct root cause of the disproportionate number of deaths. African Americans suffer disproportionately from chronic diseases such as hypertension; cardiovascular disease; diabetes; lung disease; asthma and obesity, lowering survival rates for COVID-19 as well as increasing the incidence of the virus in their communities. Longstanding systemic racism in health care and health insurance make African Americans less likely to have health insurance. African Americans also face systemic racism in the provision of health care and housing that contributes to the impact. Moreover, when Americans are asked to shelter in place to avoid the virus, African Americans are more likely to have a job that precludes this action and requires them to work in jobs that potentially expose them to infection. This undeniable evidence that COVID-19 hospitalization and death rates affect black communities at much higher rates than white communities demands that action needs to be taken. We urge, therefore, United Methodists to acknowledge the long-standing systemic racism that COVID-19 has made more visible and to take and support all action that seeks to lessen the impact of the virus and more importantly, to eradicate the underlying systemic racism. Another wave of COVID-19 infections is anticipated in the fall/winter of 2020. Governor Wolf has created a Health Disparity Task Force lead by Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman which promises to examine these disparities and take action, both short and long-term, to address the impact of the virus. Professor Malo Hutson of Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation stated, “It’s one thing to raise the issue and say there are a disproportionate amount of blacks and low-income people who became infected with coronavirus. It’s another to turn this into policy.” So, we are suggesting the following actions should be put in place: (1) Concrete steps put in place to protect African American communities from COVID19; such as ensuring access to early testing and prevention efforts, paid sick time and early treatment, and a provision for transportation to medical facilities.

(2) COVID-19 testing offered and completed without charge. (3) Standards established for the gathering of pertinent racial demographic information to ensure accurate and continuing information regarding the impact of the virus.

(4) Efforts monitored and accountability demanded from local and state officials regarding immediate and long-term efforts to address systemic disparities that are at the root of this disproportionate impact.

(5) Measurements and assessments be put in place to assure everyone understands the standards and expectations.

Respectfully,

Anti-racism Team John Wesley and Christ United Methodist Churches