BREAKING EXPOSE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 2020
Contact: Hugh Espey, 515-282-0484 @hugh@iowacci.org
Governor Reynolds' refusal to put people before profits is disproportionately harming essential workers of color
Asian, Black, and Hispanic workers make up more than half of Covid19 cases in Iowa, new data shows
Des Moines, Iowa --
Iowa's population is 85 percent white but essential workers of color make up at least fifty-six percent of positive Covid19 cases in Iowa, according to an Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (Iowa CCI) analysis of new data released Sunday by the New York Times.
The Times sued the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to obtain the data, which the newspaper called "the most comprehensive look to date on nearly 1.5 million coronavirus patients in America."
"Iowa may have the worst racial disparity in the country for Covid19 exposure, infections, hospitalizations, and deaths," said Shawn Sebastian, a Senior Strategist for People's Action from Ames, Iowa. Iowa CCI is an affiliate of People's Action.
"A state government that is owned and run by corporate ag monopolies is killing essential workers of color for profit," said Juan Manuel Galvez Ibarra of the Iowa City Catholic Worker, a local-affiliate of Iowa CCI. "Governor Reynolds regularly takes money from Big Ag, refused to regulate meatpacking plants to save lives, and now the sick and the dead are disproportionately Southeast Asian, Hispanic, and Black."
4,802 out of 8,647 positive Covid19 cases reported in Iowa between March 8 and May 28 where the race and ethnicity of the patient are known were people of color, the data shows. The cases closely track known and suspected outbreaks at meatpacking plants and other businesses where people of color make up a disproportionate amount of the workforce compared to white workers.
In Polk County, with a population that is 84 percent white, 1,060 out of 2,012 positive cases analyzed were people of color, or 54 percent of the total.
In Black Hawk County, 85 percent white, 674/1,143 positive cases were people of color, 59 percent.
In Linn County, 88 percent white, 254/790 cases were people of color, 32 percent.
In Johnson county, 83 percent white, 140/344 positive cases were people of color, 41 percent.
In Crawford County, 91 percent white, 198/221 cases were people of color, 90 percent.
In Woodbury County, 86 percent white, 995/1,242 cases were people of color, 80 percent.
In Marshall County, 91 percent white, 391/556 cases were people or color, 70 percent.
In Louisa County, 165/239 cases were people of color, 69 percent.
In Wapello County, 93 percent white, 177/269 cases were people of color, 66 percent.
In Pottawattamie County, 95 percent white, 86/156 cases were people of color, 55 percent.
In Dallas County, 90 percent white, 278/527 cases were people of color, 53 percent.
In Muscatine County, 89 percent white, 180/397 cases were people of color, 45 percent.
In Dubuque County, 91 percent white, 33/123 cases were people of color 27 percent.
In Washington County, 96 percent white, 34/143 cases were people of color, 24 percent.
In Scott County, 86 percent white, 51/264 cases were people of color, 19 percent.
The 8,647 Covid19 cases in Iowa analyzed by the Times where racial and ethnic information was available is 27 percent of the total 31,705 positive cases reported in Iowa as of July 7. There is evidence that these racial disparities continued in June.
For example, in Buena Vista County, which has a population that is 82 percent white, 44 out of 59 positive cases analyzed where the racial and ethnic information was known were people of color, or 75 percent. However, there are a total of 1,715 positive cases in Buena Vista, and over 645 of them were attributed on one day to the Storm Lake Tyson plant, where workers of color disproportionately represent the workforce.
In a similar way, new outbreaks in June in Story County, Johnson County, and Black Hawk County were first reported not at bars and restaurants but inside university football programs, where student-athlete-workers are disproportionately people of color. Many bars, restaurants, and grocery stores also have workforces made up disproportionately of people of color.
Iowa's Coronavirus website is misleading on the issue of race. They show a high proportion of positive cases as white without noting that the census category "white" that they use includes most people who identify as Hispanic or Latino, since the latter ethnic identity is a separate question.
Iowa CCI members demand Governor Reynolds immediately issue a #MaskUpIA order to protect all Iowans, especially essential workers of color. For more information, visit www.staysafeiowa.com
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