Black Parent Voices: Resilience in the Face of the Two Pandemics—COVID-19 and Racism
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Report Publish Date: 2021
This report examines the effects of COVID-19 on Black families, including their experiences of racism, economic security, health, mental health, and childcare options.
Primary Takeaways
- Black parents reported experiences of discrimination before and after the pandemic. One quarter (25%) were concerned about their children’s experiences of racism and discrimination.
- Half of Black families of all income levels saw their incomes decrease during the pandemic. More than 2 in 5 Black families at or below the poverty level felt financially strapped even after they’d gotten government stimulus payments.
- More than half of Black families experienced material hardships during the pandemic and had difficulty paying for basic needs.
- Many Black parents delayed medical visits during the pandemic; the most common reason was concern about being exposed to COVID. Nearly a third of parents said their child missed a checkup.
- Most Black families kept their children home from school at the start of the pandemic.
Overview and Objectives
COVID-19 highlighted ongoing health and health care inequities experienced by Black communities in the United States. The authors of this report wanted to examine data on how Black families were experiencing the pandemic, compared to families of other races and ethnicities.
Hypothesis or Approach
The authors used data collected by the University of Oregon’s Rapid Assessment of Pandemic Impact on Development in Early Childhood (RAPID-EC) from April 6 to November 17, 2020. RAPID-EC and Boston University’s Researchers Investigating Sociocultural Equity and Race (RISER) Network worked together to add survey questions regarding racism, racial discrimination, and racial trauma.
How This Influences Change
The authors recommend anti-racist policies and strategies, financial tools to stabilize families, anti-racist and culturally appropriate health care, and prioritizing in-person learning during the pandemic.
Research: Go Deeper
This report illustrates how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting Black families’ experiences with racism and discrimination, financial security/material hardship,
health and mental health, and early care and education options. The data in this report are from 768 Black families in the United States with an average household income of $69,286, which is slightly higher than the U.S. median household income for 2019 of $68,703 but significantly higher than the 2019 median income for Black households of $45,438, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Where possible, we examined the data based on whether families were
Below/Near Poverty (meaning these families had incomes that were less than 200% of the federal poverty threshold) or Middle Income (meaning these families had incomes that were above 200% of the federal poverty threshold). Sixty-seven percent of Black caregivers in this sample were part of dual-parent1 households. The majority of families are English speakers and about eight percent of caregivers reported being a first-generation immigrant who was born outside of the U.S.
Researchers Investigating Sociocultural Equity and Race (RISER) Network, 2021
Page 4: Figure 4. Parents’ Concerns for their Children Pre-Pandemic and During the Pandemic
Research Team
This study and report was conducted and created by the following people.
- I. U. Iruka
- S. M. Curenton
- J. Sims
- K. A. Escayg
- N. Ibekwe-Okafor
- RAPID-EC
Research to Explore
Understanding Perspectives on Health and Wellbeing in New Jersey
Advancing Collective Wellbeing
