The orange man in the White House first proclaimed the coronavirus as a Democratic hoax. Then in his infinite ignorance, president Trump assured the country that the virus would “miraculously go away” by summer. It appears that the outbreak finally got the attention it deserved when the U.S. stock market plunged. When rich folks cough, poor folks have convulsions. When white folks catch a cold, Black folks get pneumonia.

The epidemic also known as COVID-19 is worth watching for several reasons. The virus has infected nearly 100,000 people and killed 3000 in 75 countries. The U.S. has confirmed 124 cases and growing, eleven dead.

I’ve witnessed a couple of these phenomena in my lifetime. I checked out how my community and other communities of color are affected, how they are served—or not. So we better get prepared.

This strand of coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China stoking anti-Chinese sentiments and resulting in ugly behavior and brutal attacks on those of Asian descent. Yellow alerts, caricatures of Asians and other acts of xenophobia are rampant.

The racism of COVID-19 won’t stop at Asians. I think about the AIDS epidemic and how it ravaged African American communities. Accurate information was slow to be disseminated to Black communities. Misinformation like AIDS being a white, gay disease allowed risky behaviors to run amuck in Black spaces. A similar rumor has emerged about the coronavirus on Twitter—Black people can’t catch it, the virus doesn’t “stay” on us.

Race and class are contributing factors in which communities receive information and services, and when. The initial AIDS funding poured into LGBTQA communities. Black and brown communities had to fight to get their share of the pie. Communities of color were unnecessarily pitted against the gay community.

It was deja vue when the crack cocaine epidemic was unleashed on our communities with a vengeance in the 1980s. The devastation on Black families and Black futures is still untold and immeasurable. For its pain and suffering, the community was punished with long and harsh sentences whether they were users or dealers. Racist laws on crack sentences is one of the biggest factors in the explosion of the prison industrial complex.

Fast forward to the opioid crises affecting mainly white people. Laws and policies decriminalize its use and programs abound for abusers. The drug Narcan that reverses opioid overdoses is widely available. Again, pitting communities against one another.

I don’t have high hopes that communities like mine will get the preventive attention they need in the face of COVID-19. Most are struggling for day-to-day survival and a strange virus has yet been made a priority for them and their families. It will be up to people like you and me to get the word out about how to prevent the spread of the virus.

The facts:

The virus is spread through coughing and sneezing. The symptoms are similar to the cold and flu, appearing in 2-14 days. There’s fever, coughing and difficult breathing. If you or someone you know experiences these symptoms, seek medical attention.

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Make sure you get soapy water between all fingers. There are plenty of demonstrations on the internet on how to properly wash hands. If soap is not available, sanitizer will do.

Wipe down or spray surfaces with disinfectants that are frequently touched like doorknobs, railings, computer keyboards, cell phones, etc. Avoid contact with people who are coughing or sneezing.

There’s no calvary coming for us. The budgets of most city’s public health departments have been decimated and their capacity to sound the alarm is limited. We must take matters into our own hands. Just thoroughly wash them first.