HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The ability to opt-out of in person lessons for the upcoming school year, isn’t a privilege that all families have access to. For people of color and low-income families, returning their students to the classroom might be their only option.
According to the Economic Policy institute, Black workers make up about one in nine workers overall--- but account for about one sixth of all essential front-line jobs. Financial status plays a factor in at-home learning. So, parents of color are less likely to be able to stay home and supervise their children while they learn virtually.
Deaths from COVID-19 are disproportionately high in communities of color and social unrest, international cries against police brutality, and images of violence against people of color caught on camera is taking its toll. This leaves students of color exposed physically, mentally and academically this year.
We met with Monretta Vega, a counselor with Huntsville Counseling and Psychotherapy Services. Referring to children of color, Vega tells us, “We may not be able to get the assistance and help that we need to complete the assignments daily until the end of the day or earlier in the morning. And that could put us even more behind… So there’s going to be some anxiety and maybe even some depression because… skin color is something you cannot change.”
Vega says these disparities not only put the students at risk, but their families as well.
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