The current COVID-19 pandemic highlights the perpetual inequality within American society. These societal inequalities and health disparities begin at birth and, if not addressed adequately, will lead to lifelong problems. Upon reflection, we must admit that our historical legacy, institutional systems, and policies have created gaps in the educational achievements, health outcomes, housing, and opportunities for Blacks, Hispanics, and other minority or underserved groups when compared with Whites. We must advocate for a call for action, which will require a multilayered approach that brings together policymakers to design and implement strategies for reducing our current inequality for all groups, regardless of race, color, religion, etc.
In January 2020, I published a book chapter titled “A Multilayered Approach for Addressing Poverty and Education in the Black Communities: A Call for Action.” In this book chapter, I highlighted the need for policymakers to address current gaps in our system that continue to impact the lives and opportunities within the Black community. I believe that the strategies I outlined in this chapter can also be applied to other disadvantaged populations within our society. Some of the strategies that were described included providing adequate health care provisions for children from birth to their teen years, providing access to proper education with high-quality teachers from birth to high school, proactive family intervention services, developing and maintaining healthy parent and school partnerships, enhanced housing provisions, policies to reduce the criminalization of people of color, and, where applicable, the implementation of nutritional programs. I also posit that every child, regardless of their color or status, should be given a child educational trust fund at birth with funds added over time until the child is 18 years old. The trust fund would be used to develop career pathways and skills. Creating a child trust fund is not too much to ask for the reduction of inequality within our system. After all, when the dust settles from COVID-19, we will all realize that if we had addressed the health disparities and inequality ever-present in our society, many of our fellow Americans would still be alive today.
For this multilayered approach to work, there must be collaborative work between various professional groups, “…which should consist of (but not be limited to) health professionals, educators, social workers, psychologists, nutritionists, caseworkers, and teachers” (Jowallah 2020, p.15). Please view the Infographic below. Download your copy here
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