Dr Gwenetta Curry on COVID-19: How racism made the pandemic worse for Black and ethnic minority communities

Dr Gwenetta Curry is Chair of the Co-POWeR Steering Group. She is a Lecturer of Race, Ethnicity, and Health in the Usher Institute at the University of Edinburgh. Her research interests are Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, Critical Race Theory, and Black Family Studies. Her present research analyses racial disparities in treatment and infection rates of Covid-19.

Gwenetta recently wrote an article for The Scotsman on the COVID-19 pandemic, and how data from the Office of National Statistics has shown that Black and ethnic minority communities have been, and continue to be, disproportionately impacted.

Dr Curry discussed the findings of the Co-POWeR project and the emerging, recurring themes.

The research results demonstrate the need to move away from a ‘one-size fits all’ approach and take seriously the various needs of diverse communities.

She also highlighted the recent screening of the Co-POWeR theatre play 'breaDth' and how this demonstrated the particular challenges these minority communities faced during the pandemic.

I had the pleasure to see the play and it really demonstrated the various conundrums communities faced while working and commuting. The documentary also laid bare the impact of over-policing on Black communities and its long-term, damaging effects on families.

Read the full article: The Scotsman, 28 July 2022, Covid: How racism made the pandemic worse for Black and ethnic minority communities.