The Black community is being disproportionately affected right now — here's what you can d

As the U.S. comes to grips with the global health crisis, the Black community has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. An April report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that among the 580 patients whose race or ethnicity was listed, 33 percent were Black. Those patients resided in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee and Utah. where the Black community comprises only 18 percent of those states' populations, yet equaled more than a third of the reported cases. Dr. Ben Singer, an assistant professor at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, believes the disparity has had a lot to do with factors such as pre-existing health issues along with limited access to medical services. Black and Hispanic workers are also more likely than their white counterparts to work at jobs that pay per hours, they are also more vulnerable to layoffs. consider helping these organizations and businesses that serve and provide assistance to the community, in addition to supporting local Black-owned establishments. Millie Peartree Catering is currently doing its part to help healthcare workers by serving what it calls "Essential Meals.” 100 percent of the donations will go to "food prep, packaging and delivery”. Children of Promise (CPNYC) specifically helps at-risk children by conducting weekly check-in calls, preparing hot meals for families in need and sharing art supplies and academic packets with its participants. Harlem Grown aims to increase access to healthy food for Harlem residents by operating local urban farms and educating the neighborhood's youth through garden-based development programs. Although it won’t resume programming until fall, Itefayo has six programs, ranging from cultural heritage to financial education training