Open Access"I Felt What was Happening in Our Country [USA] with Race was So Much Scarier than the [COVID-19] Virus.” Black Lives Matter Protesters’ Beliefs and Practices During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Author(s) -
Evelyn Arana-Chicas,
Brooke Jones,
Francisco Cartujano-Barrera,
Ana Paula Cupertino
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
online journal of health ethics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1551-4218
DOI - 10.18785/jhe.1701.02
Subject(s) - social distance , covid-19 , pandemic , race (biology) , economic justice , political science , sociology , gender studies , criminology , medicine , law , virology , disease , pathology , outbreak , infectious disease (medical specialty)
This study describes the COVID-19 prevention practices and beliefs of Black Lives Matter protesters in the U.S. Participants completed a survey on following COVID-19 guidelines and answered interview questions. Twenty participants were enrolled. Mean age was 29 and most were female (80%) and black (75%). Participants almost always wore their masks (75%) and washed their hands (85%) while protesting. Most reported rarely social distancing (55%) and not being concerned about COVID-19 (55%). Themes included: 1) Fighting for social justice, 2) Protesting is more important than COVID-19, 3) Unable to social distance, 4) Masks mostly worn, 5) Protests sparked global movement, and 6) Increasing awareness of injustices. Our results suggest that protestors understand the importance of preventing the spread of COVID-19 and follow guidelines, but there are suggestions that some protestors do not consistently adhere to these guidelines. Results may contribute to policies that control the spread of COVID-19.