1st Edition
Racial Equity, COVID-19, and Public Policy The Triple Pandemic
Racial Equity, COVID-19, and Public Policy: The Triple Pandemic focuses on the health, economic, and justice impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on racial equity. The book does not simply document the problems made worse by the pandemic, but it provides historical context for issues that rose to the surface in new ways, the existing inequities revealed during COVID-19, as well as policy responses to those issues. The volume is distinguished in its focus on the implications for racial equity through an examination of both existing public policy and new ideas for change.
The chapters in this volume demonstrate the ways in which this period of American history and politics is unique, most notably in the convergence of major threats to public health, economic livelihood, and access to justice. This “triple pandemic” will be felt in the coming years and will continue to unfold, depending upon the adequacy of the contemporary response. This edited volume is designed to provide the reader with a thorough understanding of issues including policing, housing, business, disaster response, education, immigration, vaccine distribution, reentry of justice-involved individuals, and the responses to public protests—all with a unifying focus on racial inequities and social justice concerns that elevated these issues to broader public attention and political response. This coalescing emphasis on public policy as both a cause and effect to address these issues makes the book a unique contribution to the public policy literature. This book responds to audiences seeking a better understanding of the events that occurred, the conditions that set the stage for their eruption into wider public view, and what might be done to prevent social and racial inequities in the future.
Foreword by L. Douglas Wilder
1 Introduction—Why This Book? Why the Wilder School as the Launching Point? Why Now?
Susan T. Gooden, Elsie L. Harper-Anderson, and Jay S. Albanese
2 Unmasking Disaster Disparities and Inequality in Local Emergency Management
Hans Louis-Charles, Lemir Teron, Nakeina E. Douglas-Glenn, and Amidu Kalokoh
3 Racial Disparities in Pandemic Public Opinion: Findings From the Wilder School Commonwealth Poll
Brittany Keegan, Robyn D. McDougle, and RaJade M. Berry-James
4 Equity Partnerships in Action: Vaccines and Public Health
Lindsey L. Evans, Nakeina E. Douglas-Glenn, Susan T. Gooden, Janice B. Underwood, and Curtis C. Brown
5 Immigrant Equity and Lessons From the Triple Pandemic
Grant E. Rissler
6 Policing in America: Finding a Way Out of the Cycle of Scandal and Unfulfilled Reform
Jay S. Albanese and Chernoh Wurie
7 Demanding Change and Racial Justice: Public Protests and Demonstrations During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Steven Keener and William V. Pelfrey, Jr.
8 COVID-19, Race, and Justice: Implications for Reentry of Justice-Involved People ( JIP) Going Forward
Christina Mancini and Frances G. Stadlin
9 The Impact of COVID-19 and the CARES Act on Black Workers and Black-Owned Businesses in Virginia Elsie L. Harper-Anderson and Nathan Teklemariam
10 COVID-19 and Housing Instability: From Emergency Response to Longer-Term Transformation
Kathryn Howell, Benjamin F. Teresa, and Maria Tova Enriquez Dougherty
11 The COVID-19 Pandemic Response by Institutions of Higher Education: Negative Consequences for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
Jacqueline Smith-Mason, RaJade M. Berry-James, and Blue E. Wooldridge
12 The Triple Pandemic and the Road Ahead
Elsie L. Harper-Anderson, Jay S. Albanese, and Susan T. Gooden
Biography
Elsie L. Harper-Anderson is Associate Professor and Director of the Ph.D. program at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. Her research examines the impact of macroeconomic transformation on regional economies and urban labor markets with a focus on social equity and sustainability. Her current research focuses on understanding entrepreneurial ecosystems and their impact on building inclusive economies. Other research interests include understanding and enhancing the connection between workforce development and economic development. Dr. Harper-Anderson serves as Chair of the Governing Board of the Urban Affairs Association and the Diversity Committee of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning. Prior to academia, her work included experience evaluating economic development, workforce development, and housing programs for local, state, and federal agencies. She has also worked as a practitioner administering federal housing and economic development programs. She teaches courses in economic development, labor and employment, and urban economic development policy. Dr. Harper-Anderson earned her Ph.D. degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.S. degree in Public Management and Policy from Carnegie Mellon University, and a B.S. degree in Political Science from Lincoln University of Pennsylvania.
Jay S. Albanese is a professor and criminologist in the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU. He received his Ph.D. degree from the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University. Dr. Albanese served as Chief of the International Center at the National Institute of Justice, the research arm of the US Department of Justice. He is the author and editor of 22 books and more than 100 journal articles and book chapters on the issues of organized crime, corruption, ethics, transnational crime, and criminal justice. Dr. Albanese is the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award from VCU, the Gerhard Mueller Award for research contributions from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences International Section, the Freda Adler Distinguished Scholar Award from the American Society of Criminology Division of International Criminology, and the Outstanding Faculty Award, Virginia’s highest honor for a faculty member at public or private colleges and universities. He is a past president and fellow of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. Dr. Albanese is also a principal with the NGO Criminologists Without Borders. www.jayalbanese.com.
Susan T. Gooden, Ph.D., is dean and professor at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU. She is an internationally recognized expert on social equity. Gooden is an elected fellow of the congressionally chartered National Academy of Public Administration, president of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration, and past president of the American Society for Public Administration. Her books include Global Equity in Administration: Nervous Areas of Governments (2020, Routledge); Why Research Methods Matter (2018, Melvin and Leigh); Race and Social Equity: A Nervous Area of Government (2014, Routledge); and Cultural Competency for Public Administrators (2012, Routledge).
“A thought provoking gem that stimulates and invigorates debate about the triple pandemic. In addition, this book helps other states by giving them a road map to develop a research and policy agendas to reduce instances of injustices.” - George E. Higgins, University of Louisville, USA
"This is a compelling read, as we start learning lessons from managing the COVID crisis. It is a great collection of essays on various dimensions of keeping a focus on racial equity across a range of issues from evictions to higher education. Regrettably, COVID is unlikely to be our last big shock to a fragile social infrastructure. This may prove a useful handbook for that next shock." - William E. Spriggs, American Federation of Labor--Congress of Industrial Organizations, USA
