Policy Brief

Structural racism within governmental institutions was reflected in the response to COVID-19. As defined by Dr. Paula Braveman, Arkin, Proctor, Kauh, and Holms, “systemic and structural racism are forms of racism embedded in systems, laws, policies, entrenched practices that perpetuate widespread unfair treatment of people of color.” Braveman et al distinguishes systemic racism from structural racism by stating that “systemic racism emphasizes the involvement of whole systems,” whereas “structural racism emphasizes the role of the structures (laws, policies, institutional practices, and entrenched norms) which is the system’s scaffolding. This brief will provide specific examples of how structural racism, which is the ways that laws, policies, institutional practices, and entrenched norms disadvantage racial and ethnic minority individuals, impacted the COVID-19 response.

For example, the behavior of decision-makers at all levels of government in ignoring scientific information about COVID-19 had devastating effects, which disadvantaged racial and ethnic minority individuals. Structural racism combined with the political determinants of health (systematic process of structuring relationships, distributing resources, and administering power) often took precedence over science and prevented racial and ethnic minority individuals from being healthy. This was illustrated by governmental leaders’ refusal to enforce mask requirements for indoor spaces and actions that cast doubt about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. Not only was this problematic for the nation, but also particularly challenging for marginalized communities, which includes racial and ethnic minorities, low-income households, and households whose limited square footage and physical layout made it difficult to self-isolate. The existence of a widespread anti-structural racism policy could have prevented unnecessary deaths, and the disruption of the economic stability and social fabric of communities. States like Ohio provide an appropriate case-study to illustrate this point.