THREAD: This crisis has unleashed devastation on our collective mind, body, and spirit. But black and brown people are doubly devastated.

I want to talk a little bit about the devastation to my community and what it should mean going forward. (1/14)

I was born and raised (and live) on Flatbush Avenue. I had really bad asthma growing up and went to Kings County Hospital regularly. That hospital was my lifeline;I spent many nights hospitalized with asthma-related conditions, including many bouts with pneumonia. (2/14)

I now have the honor of representing Kings County in the NY State Senate.
I also represent three other local hospitals: SUNY Downstate, Kingsbrook, and Brookdale. They all serve Central Brooklyn patients who are overwhelmingly black and immigrant. (3/14)

Once the magnitude of this crisis became clear, I feared that the structural disparities already existing in the system -- food deserts, housing affordability, economic insecurity, access to healthcare -- would be exacerbated in communities like mine. (4/14)

Because of this, as a first step, many of my colleagues joined me in calling for more testing in Central Brooklyn.
We wrote a letter to the CDC on March 19 to give SUNY Downstate the resources to conduct more tests. They did not respond until yesterday, April 8. (5/14)

Their response did not answer any of our questions and didn't mention our hospital once. We also fought Medicaid cuts in the state budget that initially proposed $40 million cuts to our hospitals but were ultimately less (though still damaging) in the final budget. (6/14)

Why am I giving this context? Yesterday, officials released data that tells us what we already knew: COVID-19 is killing black and brown people at an alarmingly disproportionate rate. Even though we knew this was coming, frankly, I am enraged. (7/14)

83% of my district is comprised of people of color. 41% were born in another country. We are being pummeled while also serving on the frontlines (75% of frontline workers are people of color). Just like in Queens and the Bronx, we are being hit the hardest. (8/14)

It is personal for all of us. Family, community leaders, co-workers, friends; all have been touched by COVID-19. I've tried my best not to dwell on the gravity of this, but as the circles of impact draw closer, it has been impossible. I am sad and I am angry. (9/14)

Sad because of the overwhelming loss, angry because we have failed our people. No more. We can’t accept the status quo on healthcare, housing, and labor anymore. We need a SPECIFIC agenda for people of color in this state and I am ready to fight anyone who says otherwise. (10/14)

I'm watching my neighbors die and hearing the non-stop wailing of emergency sirens day and night. I stare out of my window at Kings County and Downstate and pray for the workers and patients but I'm tired of just praying. We must do more. (11/14)

I don't have all the answers but I got a whole lotta fight. I am ready. And don't get it twisted, people will say "this isn't a time for politics" but that usually means "this isn't a time for YOUR politics." We ain't playin'. Help the most vulnerable or bounce. (12/14)

And I haven't even touched the injustices happening in public housing and our jails/prisons. That's a whole other thread. (13/14)

That's it. Stay inside if you can. Thank an essential worker. Meditate. Fill out the Census. And get angry at a system that allows it's most vulnerable to die in a pandemic. (14/14)