I recently discovered the CovidBlack.org project aimed at connecting Black people in their resilience. COVID Black is building a digital memorial to pay respect to Black people in death that is often not given in life. The aim is to also serve as a refuge and salve to ease the pain and suffering of the families and friends who remain among the living.
COVID Black is a Black health data organization that uses data to tell stories about the Black lived experience to advocate for health equity. The goal of COVID Black is to honor and value each Black life that is lost to COVID-19. We know Black people in America have been disproportionately affected by this deadly virus on so many levels, in sickness and in death.
The CovidBlack.org project is aimed at a mixed audience. They are primarily targeting communities of color, academic institutions and healthcare systems. The goal of Covidblack.org is to change from data awareness to data for action. They want to highlight how data can be transformed about the Black experience to reduce health disparities. CovidBlack.org is also a space for a virtual homegoing for Black people. Black people can receive a free Aya pin to commemorate remembrance for their lost loved ones. For Black communities, the Aya symbol (on the pin) and the online system to memorialize Black people lost to COVID-19 is a part of the data and healing process.
The Aya symbol is a call to Black people of African ancestry and their will to survive. The Aya symbol represents people of African descent and the ability to form communities and survive against odds. It is a notion of endurance. The ability to survive and to be able to negotiate adversities on the other side, not necessarily unharmed but stronger having gone through this. CovidBlack.org is about being Black and is inclusive of all Black communities, not just descendants of formerly enslaved Black Americans. This is a diasporic effort. Black is an expansive concept and it is meant to include people who do not define themselves as descendants of slavery on U.S. soil, so the Aya symbol is meant to be inclusive of all Black people and our differing yet shared histories and backgrounds.
Right now CovidBlack.org is giving away the Aya pin for free to family members who have lost someone to COVID-19. The website is CovidBlack.org and people can submit relevant information and receive the pin, for free. The pin is also made by an independently owned Black owned company called nolalapelpins.com. This project is about connecting Black people in all senses and building relationships.
If you’d like to learn more, visit www.covidblack.org to view the memorial site and learn more about receiving an Aya pin.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University, the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream,” and the co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC and also What’s In It For Us podcast.