Ohio State Sen. Steve Huffman has been fired from his job as an emergency room physician after he asked a health expert whether Black people were contracting COVID-19 at higher rates because they "do not wash their hands as well as other groups," according to The Washington Post.

Angela Dawson, executive director of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health, spoke at a hearing on racism and the current public health crisis on Tuesday. After explaining a number of scientifically based reasons why Black people in Ohio were more likely to contract and die from COVID-19, Huffman asked her whether Black people were simply less clean than other races. 

“I understand African Americans have a higher incidence of chronic conditions and that makes them more susceptible to death from COVID. But why does it not make them more susceptible to just get COVID? Could it just be that African Americans or the colored population do not wash their hands as well as other groups? Or wear a mask? Or do not socially distance themselves? Could that be the explanation for why the higher incidence?" the Republican senator said during the hearing.


Dawson, a Black woman, immediately shot down Huffman's statement, telling him that all of the country's medical agencies have reams of data proving that hygiene is not why Black people are dying from the coronavirus at higher rates than other races. 

“That is not the opinion of leading medical experts in this country. Do all populations need to wash their hands? Absolutely, sir, but that is not where you are going to find the variance and the rationale for why these populations are more vulnerable,” Dawson said.

The statement caused shockwaves because Huffman is a doctor himself, meaning he should ostensibly know that Black people do not have higher rates of chronic illnesses due to their hygiene.

The comments were particularly shocking considering the reasons why Black people have suffered more than other races from the coronavirus have been widely covered.

As Blavity previously reported, multiple studies have proven that Black people in cities across the country are more likely to catch the virus because they work as first responders or essential workers while also having worse medical care and higher rates of other diseases like diabetes, hypertension and asthma.   

Black lawmakers have spent months criticizing local and state governments for essentially ignoring Black communities at the beginning of the crisis by, for example, putting the first coronavirus testing centers in majority-white neighborhoods in cities like New York City, Chicago and New Orleans, The Post reported.

The weeks, and in some cases months, that passed with inaction led to thousands of deaths in Black communities while resources were routinely funneled into areas that were largely unaffected by the virus, according to a Washington Post study.  

In a statement to The Post, a spokesperson from Huffman's former employer TeamHealth slammed Huffman's comments.

“Dr. Huffman’s comments are wholly inconsistent with our values and commitment to creating a tolerant and diverse workplace. TeamHealth has terminated Dr. Huffman’s employment,” spokesman McHenry Lee said.

The Post managed to track down Huffman, who defended his comments and got into a back and forth with the reporter about his specific word choice. He said his statement was "taken out of context."

Following Huffman's comments, many people noted that he is the kind of person Black people have to deal with when they go to a hospital. His lack of basic understanding about Black people was simply one example of how the healthcare system is stacked against Black people in need of help, according to Rep. Stephanie Howse, the president of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus. 

“He’s a full legislator, but beyond that, professionally, he’s a doctor. When we talk about the health disparities that happen because black folks aren’t believed when they’re actually hurt, they aren’t given the treatment that they need. Do you think that someone who acknowledges the ‘coloreds’ is going to give the love and care that people need when they come through those doors?” Howse said in an interview with the Dayton Daily News.

During her time at the podium on Tuesday, Dawson highlighted the connection between racism and the coronavirus pandemic.

“The COVID-19 pandemic and the brutal death of George Floyd, unfortunately, provided a pivotal point in time to not only focus on our safety and physical health but on our emotional, mental and spiritual health. We must prioritize the marginalized and those who are suffering, bearing the burden of disease, illness and death,” Dawson said. 

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