East St. Louis event shines light on COVID-19 and injustice in minority communities
A crowd of about 100 people gathered at 25th and State streets in East St. Louis Saturday to remember and pray for both the victims and survivors of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Their prayers were for the indigent, the elderly and those who are sick with other pre-existing conditions. They also acknowledged injustice toward the poor and people of color, both as it relates to the pandemic and to the death of George Floyd, the Minneapolis man who suffocated under the knee of a police officer last week.
The gathering included blacks and whites and ranged in age from the very young to the very old.
The event was organized by Church of the Living God Bishop Rex Waddell in coordination with congregations in at least five other states. Titled “6 Feet in the Street -Neighbors Caring For Neighbors,” it was conceived to bring attention to the disproportionate death rate of African-Americans and other minorities with COVID-19.
“Every time I left my home, I felt like I was rolling the dice on my health,” Waddell said. “It began as an organized initiative between local leaders of faith-based organizations and local government leaders. We came together to start a large Zoom meeting to address the devastating impact of the coronavirus on African-Americans and other at risk populations in the area.”
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control , the hospitalization and death rates among blacks in New York is nearly twice those of white patients with COVID-19. Waddell said the disparity in health care among minorities is clear and has to change.
East St. Louis Mayor Robert Eastern III, who participated in the planning of 6 Feet in the Street, agreed.
“COVID-19 is killing us. We have to focus on how it is devastating our communities,” Eastern told those assembled. “We pray that everyone can band together and see that we are all in this together ...
“When you can’t do anything else, you should pray. God will exalt your cries.”
Later, speaking to a reporter, Eastern added “the people need to understand the severity of COVID-19 and do the things that will keep them safe.”
Some in the crowd observed social-distancing measures, wearing face coverings and spacing themselves 6 feet apart as they prayed aloud and sang gospel hymns.
Their thoughts at times turned to Floyd and those demonstrations that have turned violent.
“I have a problem when you arrest people for throwing things, but you don’t arrest people who commit murder,” Waddell said. “ Something’s wrong with that ... I can’t figure it out.”
Waddell likened the knee that former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin put on Floyd’s neck to systemic racism he says has long stifled justice in poor communities and is showing itself again during the coronavirus pandemic.
“In 2005, Hurricane Katrina (in New Orleans) left black and brown folks on roofs. For many, help never came,” he said. “Racism is the water, COVID-19 is the flood.”
Waddell led those assembled in prayers for access to equal health care, quality education, political voice and for “the walls of economic disparity to be torn down.”
“We are lifting our prayers to cover communities and those outside who are being adversely impacted by COVID-19 and other injustices ...” Eastern said. “We pray the justice system protects our rights under the U.S. Constitution as it protects those Americans who are not minorities ...
“We want this message to be consistently heard from East St. Louis to the White House.”
Other speakers included Frank Smith, chairman of the East St. Louis Democratic Committee, and former police chief Michael Hubbard, currently director of security for East St. Louis School District 189 and associate pastor at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church.
“In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the social and racial uproar, my prayer is for the nation to be healed,” Hubbard said.
Eastern said the Saturday’s event was the second phase of the initiative. A similar event is planned for June 30.
“Every 30 days we are going to gather to pray as one group. We are encouraging others to join us in prayer at 25th and State Street — our ground zero — to pray with us and give God his glory,” Eastern said.
This story was originally published May 31, 2020 at 12:07 PM.
