Why are Pacific Islanders often left out?
in case yall didn’t know, Pacific Islanders are disproportionately dying of COVID-19.
Welcome to The Breaking Point, a weekly newsletter that draws on the historical legacies of injustice based on the news cycle and culture trends to understand what in the world is going on.
This week’s newsletter is going to be less history than usual, since I’m dedicating the entire week to the annual Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) convention, which — under circumstances — is happening virtually this year. And I’ll be a tad occupied, since we’re debuting our Pacific Islander Task Force, an AAJA group focused on amplifying Pacific Islander voices whether it’s becoming journalists or featuring more Pacific Islander sources in news coverage. Instead, I’ll suggest more stories and articles below for you all to read throughout the week.
AAJA on Sunday kicked off opening night with CNN Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta in conversation with Axios reporter Niala Boodhoo (watch it here). Underscoring that the COVID-19 outbreak has severely impacted Black and Latino communities, Gupta and Boodhoo discussed how the pandemic was affecting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. Yes, Asian Americans have been racially discriminated against throughout the pandemic, but the conversation, like many other discussions on “AAPI” issues, as usual overlooked Pacific Islanders. The biggest oversight when using the umbrella term “AAPI” is that many only tend to focus on the “AA” part of it. What happened to “PI”? It’s something Pacific Islanders have grown tired of over the years, especially during AAPI month each May. So the next time we discuss “AAPI” issues, let’s not disregard the latter half.
In fact, Pacific Islander Americans closely follow Black and Indigenous Americans on the list of communities severely impacted by the pandemic. We shouldn’t leave them out. The Pacific Islander community is a growing population in the United States, and it doesn’t just include Native Hawaiians. They are Marshallese, Chamorro, Tongan, Carolinian, Palauan, and more. Let’s also not forget the U.S. territories in the Pacific Ocean — American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Here is the data to back it up:
1 in 1,250 Black Americans has died (or 80.4 deaths per 100,000)
1 in 1,500 Indigenous Americans has died (or 66.8 deaths per 100,000)
1 in 1,700 Pacific Islander Americans has died (or 58.7 deaths per 100,000)
1 in 2,200 Latino Americans has died (or 45.8 deaths per 100,000)
1 in 2,800 White Americans has died (or 35.9 deaths per 100,000)
1 in 3,000 Asian Americans has died (or 33.1 deaths per 100,000)
In the meantime, pay attention to conversations and news coverage: Who is amplifying the voices and concerns of Pacific Islander communities? Who is not? Feel free to send me a note on your thoughts or what you’ve noticed!
And if you’re attending the AAJA Virtual Fest this week, be sure to catch two of our Pacific Islander Task Force sessions. One will be later today discussing investigative reporting on Pacific Islander communities, and the other will be on Thursday highlighting the significance of covering Pacific Islander communities.
In Pasifika news ...
Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero positive for COVID-19, Pacific Daily News
Pacific Islanders in Oregon experience disproportionate rates of COVID-19 by Kanani Cortez, Oregon Public Broadcasting
Navy details plans to continue with the Mariana Islands Training and Testing by Thomas Mangloña, KUAM News
How Is Oahu’s Trash Impacting The Waianae Coast? by Claire Caulfield, Honolulu Civil Beat
Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. Latte Stone photo taken by me.
Figure of the week: 58
The percentage of Americans who think that the United States should allow all voters to vote by mail in elections this year. Source: Politico/Morning Consult Poll
Trump to use FEMA $$$ for unemployment benefits
As the pandemic takes a massive toll in our economy, leaving many Americans jobless and waiting for more unemployment assistance, President Trump signed an executive order to provide an additional $400 a week in unemployment benefits. But the amount isn’t completely set in stone and there is no guarantee that all unemployed citizens would receive it.
Where is the money coming from? In what experts forecast to be an intense hurricane and wildfire season, Trump decided to use $44 billion from the government’s $70 billion Disaster Relief Fund which is typically reserved as emergency funds for climate disasters.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has always administered emergency funding to U.S. areas hard-hit by climate disasters like hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes or wildfires. Historically, the U.S. Pacific islands of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa have faced the wrath of extreme weather events and have had to rely on federal government funding.
The most dreadful part of going through a catastrophic storm is waiting for these funds to come, which could take months. As proven by Hurricane Maria that pummeled Puerto Rico in 2017, FEMA aid is slow to arrive in these U.S. territories. It was also the same case when Super Typhoon Yutu destroyed the islands of Saipan and Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands back in 2018, leaving thousands of residents sleeping in brown refugee tents. Trump’s move only multiplies the existing threats in these climate-vulnerable islands.
I talk about these issues more on the latest episode of Plum Radio, expanding on sluggish federal funding, militarization, climate change, and political corruption.
Listen to the episode here 🔊: Ep. 16: Do The Mariana Islands Need The U.S. Military? Ft. Rachel Ramirez, Plum Radio
by Rachel Ramirez
A reading list, you say? 📖
Is This the Beginning of the End of American Racism? by Ibram X. Kendi, The Atlantic
America is failing Black moms during the pandemic by Anna North, Vox
Evictions in South Carolina signal housing crisis for renters nationwide as homelessness looms by Phil McCausland, NBC News
On the shoulders of our parents — the cooks, nannies and gardeners — we’ve traveled far by Esmeralda Bermudez, Los Angeles Times
In 1920, Native Women Sought the Vote. Here’s What’s Next.by Cathleen D. Cahill and Sarah Deer, The New York Times
The Black sorority that faced racism in the suffrage movement but refused to walk away by Sydney Trent, The Washington Post
It’s Time to Abolish Nursing Homes by Sara Luterman, The Nation
ICE Is Making Sure Migrant Kids Don’t Have COVID-19 — Then Expelling Them to “Prevent the Spread” of COVID-19 by Dara Lind and Lomi Kriel, ProPublica
Green spaces improve cities. Can they benefit residents who need them most? by moi, Rachel Ramirez, Grist
thanks for reading, and don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already. see you next week!