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Iruka addresses dual pandemic facing Black Americans—racism and COVID-19

African American Family playing and laughing with their daughter.

Iruka addresses dual pandemic facing Black Americans—racism and COVID-19

March 20, 2023

Black children’s lives matter. That simple statement belies the history of the United States, which has denied the value and importance of the lives of racially minoritized children and families. Iheoma Iruka, PhD, a research professor in UNC’s Department of Public Policy, a fellow at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) and the founding director of the Equity Research Action Coalition at FPG (the Coalition), is committed to changing the narrative about Black children and families through research, awareness, and policy.

In October 2022, Iruka was lead author on Black Parents and Their Babies: The Dual Pandemic of Racism and COVID-19, 2019–2022, a report which found that while Black families and their babies have survived the last few years of the pandemic, they continue to experience the negative impact of racism, discrimination, economic strain, and other inequities, compounded by the global event. Iruka says that this report is a critical component of the Coalition’s work, particularly The Black Child National Agenda. In a November 2021 report by that name, subtitled, America Must Deliver on its Promise, the Coalition and the National Black Child Development Institute offered a blueprint of what Iruka and colleagues believe is needed in order to deliver on a promise of equality for Black people.

Because Black families continue to disproportionately feel the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, compounded by systemic racism, Black Parents and Their Babies recommends that national, state, and local leaders and policies continue to attend to the unique needs of Black families and babies to properly recover from the devastating impact of this global pandemic. Specific recommendations include:

  • Protect Black babies and their families from racism, discrimination, and material hardship.
  • Promote economic security, along with mobility and access to high-quality and affirming health care and early learning environments, for Black families and their babies to ensure their well-being.
  • Preserve Black children’s cultural identity and positive sense of self, a necessary developmental outcome, despite the continued racial stress and trauma present in their daily lives due to ongoing discrimination and biases.

The researchers will be launching a data dashboard that shows where progress has been made on the above recommendations as well as where there is still work to be done. According to the report, while there has been improvement in some markers, the mental health and economic security of Black families and children continues to lag, due to unjust historical and structural inequities, ongoing discrimination, and psychological trauma.

“While there has been some improvement in the lives of Black babies and their families, they are still vulnerable to unaddressed issues of discrimination and systemic racism,” says Iruka. “There is urgency to tackle entrenched issues so that we can ensure that Black children and families reach success and are able to thrive.”

“While there has been some improvement in the lives of Black babies and their families, they are still vulnerable to unaddressed issues of discrimination and systemic racism,” says Iruka. “There is urgency to tackle entrenched issues so that we can ensure that Black children and families reach success and are able to thrive.”

The report cites the importance of early childhood providers, both formal and informal, in facilitating the economic security of Black families, so that parents are able to work outside of the home. And Iruka expresses appreciation for the willingness of early childhood educators, providers, and program owners to remain open, particularly during the pandemic, and continue to provide high quality care even though they face the stresses of insufficient pay, job protection and resources. At the same time, families are prioritizing their mental health, understanding that in order to ensure healthy babies, parents must first take care of themselves. Iruka notes that these positive trends are seeds of a movement to support and lift up Black children and families.

Iruka believes engaging the Black community in sharing stories related to the health of its babies and families is a key element in the dissemination of this report not just to Black media outlets and social media but also to traditional media. “We need everyone to talk and care about the health and wealth of Black people,” she says.