Milwaukee's You Matter campaign aims to reduce racial health disparities during the coronavirus pandemic - and after

The coronavirus pandemic has hit African American and Hispanic communities hard, in large part because of what Office of Violence Prevention Director Reggie Moore calls "pre-existing conditions" in those neighborhoods — lack of transportation, jobs, money, and access to healthy foods.

The pandemic, said Dr. Monique Liston, a chief strategist at Ubuntu Research & Evaluation, "has forced us to reckon with ourselves in new ways."

Liston and Moore, along with Laura Gutiérrez, executive director of the United Community Center and Karen Oliva of the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, spoke on a panel that kick-started the You Matter campaign on Thursday.

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You Matter seeks to address a chronic problem in Milwaukee: disproportionately worse health for people of color.

The coronavirus pandemic has made those disparities crystal clear: African Americans and Hispanics made up 64% of those infected with the disease and more than half of the deaths, as of May 28, according to the Milwaukee County COVID-19 dashboard.

And one important goal should be ensuring equitable medical care, Liston said. 

"These systems have not made room for us and we need to make sure that these systems understand that and are held accountable for that," she said.

But individuals also must hold themselves accountable, said Jeanette Kowalik, Milwaukee's health commissioner.

People need to respect their own bodies, she said, and think about self-care and taking proper precautions if they go out.

On Milwaukee's south side, Gutiérrez said most of her United Community Health Care recipients are Hispanic and forced to put themselves at risk just to keep food on the table.

"Our families are the essential workers," she said.

Oliva said the higher risk of exposure makes getting tested important.

"Getting tested for COVID is not something to be ashamed of, but it's one of the most responsible things you can do and should take ownership of," she said.

Kowalik echoed that.

"Knowing your status is very important so you can take care of yourself, first and foremost," Kowalik explained, adding that it's now known that the virus can live in patients for up to five weeks after exposure.

Moore said the campaign should encourage people to wear face masks but do so in a supportive way.

"I think the key is not coming at it as a punitive and enforcement perspective. It’s really about education," he said. "It’s about love." 

Hope, Liston said, is essential to driving change.

"I'm really encouraged by putting people of color in the center ... of what it means to be healthy, thriving and living our best lives," she said of the collective.

The panelists all agreed that progress on racial equity in health must take place in a post-pandemic world.

"We can't just go back to normal, because normal was the most deficient for our communities," Moore said. "There is space for everybody in terms of groups  and we want this to be a model in how we message and prioritize particular communities."

The You Matter event was created by the Stronger Together Council, a group of health, education and elected leaders as well as local entrepreneurs and influencers. It was sponsored by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Milwaukee Health Department and Sixteenth Street Community Health Center.

The collective is composed of nearly 40 community leaders, including Robert "Biko" Baker, executive director of the League of Young Voters; Bria Grant, the executive director of UniteMKE, and Patricia Rogers, executive director of the Dominican Center for Women.

Contact Talis Shelbourne at (414) 403-6651 or tshelbourn@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @talisseer and message her on Facebook at @talisseer.

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