FROM DISPOSABLE PEOPLE TO "ESSENTIAL WORKERS": some notes on Latinos and COVID-19s in the United States

Authors

  • Suzanne Oboler John Jay College, City University of New York

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26512/abyayala.v4i3.35572

Keywords:

disposable people, essential workers, COVID-19, USA

Abstract

How do you determine whether a society is fair? There are those who say that it is verified through the treatment that society provides to its most vulnerable members. The devastation that COVID-19 continues to leave in the United States and in several other countries leads us to look into how the most vulnerable among us are... I chose to focus the Latino community in the United States, because it is a community that includes many members who are part of the most vulnerable sectors of American society. Paradoxically, it is a strong and large community and, in fact, today it is the largest minority group in the country. There are now almost 60 million Latinos, representing 18% of the population. It is also important to emphasize that approximately 65% of Latinos, or more than half of this community, were born in the United States and are therefore American citizens. More than that, they are added another 15% among Latinos who have become citizens of this country. So, despite all the government's efforts to paint the Latino community as if it were made up entirely of immigrants, - the reality is that, in this society, Latinos are mostly American citizens. More importantly, it is a very heterogeneous community: among them is a diversity of ethnicities, races, generations, social classes, languages, sexual identities, etc.
Palavras chave: Indigenous territoriais direitos territoriais. Covid-19 Pandemic. Daily genocids.

Author Biography

  • Suzanne Oboler, John Jay College, City University of New York

    P.h.D.

    Professor, Latin American and Latinx Studies and

    Faculty Steering Committee, Human Rights Minor

    John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY

    soboler@jjay.cuny.edu

References

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Matthew Telles. Essential or Expendable? Gig Workers at Instacart & Grocery Stores Demand Safety Gear & Hazard Pay. Interview. Democracynow.org. April 20, 2020. https://www.democracynow.org/2020/4/20/matthew_telles_instacart_gig_workers

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APR 29, 2020 1:45PM ET. https://www.colorlines.com/articles/documenting-disparity-challenges-collecting-racial-data-coronavirus

UnidosUS. “Latino Unemployment Rate Remains the Highest at 17.6%.” Latinos Job Reports. June, 2020.

https://www.unidosus.org/about-us/media/press/releases/06520-UnidosUS-Releases-May-Jobs-Report

Manuel Barajas (panel organizer) Introduction. Essential Labor: Farmworkers during the Pandemic. Center on Race, Immigration and Social Justice . https://csus.mediasite.com/Mediasite/Play/826eec57e7604816859b4ed2c7caa09b1d

Accessed 6-14-2020.

Colin Dwyer. “New York City's Latinx Residents Hit Hardest By Coronavirus Deaths.” NPR. April 8, 20201:06 PM ET

https://www.npr.org/2020/04/08/829726964/new-york-citys-latinx-residents-hit-hardest-by-coronavirus-deaths

Adriana Gallardo and Ariel Goodman. Undocumented New Yorkers Are Essential and Underprotected in COVID’s Epicenter. ProPublica, 5-2-2020

https://truthout.org/articles/undocumented-new-yorkers-are-essential-and-underprotected-in-covids-epicenter/

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https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2020/04/18/cuomo-urged-to-provide-covid-19-economic-relief-to-undocumented-workers/?slreturn=20200620110026

The Moral Test of Government.” Huffington Post. 09/03/2012 02:06 pm ET Updated Nov 03, 2012. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-moral-test-of-governm_b_1847379

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Published

2021-01-13

How to Cite

“FROM DISPOSABLE PEOPLE TO ‘ESSENTIAL WORKERS’: Some Notes on Latinos and COVID-19s in the United States”. 2021. Abya-Yala: Journal on Access to Justice and Rights in the Americas 4 (3): 121 a 134. https://doi.org/10.26512/abyayala.v4i3.35572.