Black residents in Michigan, specifically the city of Detroit, have been hit hard by the spread of COVID-19. Black people make up about 14% of the population of Michigan, yet they represent 35% of the confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 40% of the state's deaths from the virus, according to The Detroit Free Press.

To address the disparity, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order on Monday that created the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities. According to the order, the task force will "act in an advisory capacity to the Governor and study the causes of racial disparities in the impact of COVID-19 and recommend actions to immediately address such disparities and the historical and systemic inequities that underlie them." 


“COVID-19 has taken a disproportionate toll on Michigan’s communities of color and I am confident this task force will help us identify the factors driving this disparity and to identify actions we can take to create a more equitable Michigan for everyone. Each of the task force members will provide a unique perspective and play a vital part in identifying these barriers and ensuring all Michiganders have equal access to critical resource when they need them most,” Whitmer said in her announcement.

Whitmer appointed Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist as chair of the task force and said it will look into what is causing the racial disparities among COVID-19 cases and recommend actions to take.

The task force will also seek to "increase transparency in reporting data on the racial and ethnic impact of COVID-19, remove barriers to accessing physical and mental health care, reduce the impact of medical bias in testing and treatment and mitigate environmental and infrastructure factors contributing to increased exposure during pandemics."

The group will also strive to "develop and improve systems that will support the long-term economic recovery and physical and mental health for residents following a pandemic." Whitmer said the task force has plans to work with community groups and identifying avenues of funding for combatting racial disparities among COVID-19 cases.

At a press conference on Monday, Whitmer spoke candidly about how the state's Black community is facing a disproportionate burden in fighting the disease. 

"This virus has disproportionately impacted communities of color. More than 40% of those who have lost their lives to COVID-19 have been African American Michiganders, but only 14% of people in our state are African American," she said.

"The deep inequities people in communities of color face, like basic lack of access to health care or transportation or protections in the workplace, have made them more susceptible to COVID-19. We’ve seen heartbreaking stories come out of Detroit, many who have lost their parents and children and friends and neighbors," Whitmer added.

The state is reeling after the tragic story of 5-year-old Skylar Herbert emerged on Sunday. Skylar died after spending two weeks on a ventilator and became the state's youngest person to pass away from complications related to COVID-19, as Blavity previously reported. 

Skylar's parents are both first responders in Detroit and live in a ZIP code with some of the highest coronavirus infection numbers in the state. 

The young girl's death was another reminder of how the spread of COVID-19 is affecting Black people of all ages. Gilchrist spoke at length about his own struggle with the virus while remembering Skylar on Monday. 

“Skylar’s family lives in the 48219 ZIP code, which is the second-most impacted ZIP code with 559 positive cases of COVID-19 as of yesterday. It’s a predominantly Black neighborhood. She is the daughter of two first responders in the city of Detroit. After she was admitted to the hospital, she then developed a rare complication that led to swelling of her brain and a lesion in her frontal lobe," Gilchrist said. 

“Her story cuts right to the core of why we must act now, why it’s important to follow the orders and maintain social distancing. My condolences, my prayers go to Skylar’s family. And this task force will serve in her memory to ensure that we can limit the exposure for as many people, as many families as possible,” he added, highlighting on Twitter that he has also lost people in his life due the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Johns Hopkins University, Michigan has reported 2,469 COVID-19 deaths and at least 32,000 confirmed cases as of Sunday.

“This is not something that we can solve overnight, but it’s something that we can work on every day to make a difference,” Gilchrist said. “When communities have been impacted by racial disparities for generations, this means it is a systemic problem, and a systemic problem requires a systemic solution."

"We know that more often than not, people of color do not have the financial luxury in the state of Michigan to be able to work from home. They are more reliant on public transportation to get groceries or to get to work. They don’t have enough money to buy hundreds of dollars of groceries at a time and have to make repeat trips,” Gilchrist added.

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