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Available now: “Triple Pandemic” book showcases the breadth of Wilder School research
As part of the Wilder School Racial Equity Action Plan research priorities, Elsie Harper-Anderson, Jay Albanese and Susan Gooden co-edited the volume “Racial Equity, COVID-19, and Public Policy: The Triple Pandemic,” published by Routledge.
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This volume takes a critical look at how many existing areas of racial inequality in the United States rose to the surface as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. Broad and interdisciplinary in its approach, the collection of original research unites faculty from each of the Wilder School’s program areas.
“Emblematic of the Wilder School’s national reputation for advancing social equity analysis and remedies, this volume squarely examines pre-existing inequities magnified by COVID. Extremely accessible and timely, it’s more than a thought leadership resource — it’s a clarion call to action,” said Susan Gooden, dean of the Wilder School.
As the title stipulates, the racial equity implications of COVID-19 are non-singular, but multifaceted and complex. Utilizing a variety of methods, each chapter falls under one of three subsections that comprise the “triple pandemic”: health, justice and economics. The chapters weave historical context and exacerbations caused by COVID-19 and offer transformative policy recommendations to improve equitable governance.
Featured within are contributions from 25 authors, including 16 Wilder School faculty members, three Wilder School Ph.D. students, three Wilder School alumni, three faculty members from other universities and two practitioners.
In a foreword, Governor L. Douglas Wilder notes with pride that the authors “coalesce in providing a blueprint and guidelines to deal with present and future problems.” The book, he notes, will “provide awareness, research and solutions from which to draw in meaningful resolve.” Beyond strict policy implications, Governor Wilder notes that all readers “will be further enlightened as to what every citizen can do” to battle racial injustice in the U.S. moving forward.
The incendiary events of 2020 served as flashpoints for public and political outrage and brought to greater light the disparity and victimization of those already vulnerable to unjust public and private systems.
"The book questions a contemporary dilemma in which police legitimacy in enforcing the law and their proper role in the lives of citizens are questioned," said Jay Albanese, professor of criminal justice. "Changes are needed to address the essence of what the public wants from the police."
Long-term impacts set into motion during the pandemic continue to unfold in unforeseen ways, and this research promises to provide a framework for addressing structural issues. Chapters on police and justice system reform, housing security, business impacts, disaster response, education, immigration, vaccine distribution and more magnify focus on racial inequities and social injustice.
“The triple pandemic taught us important lessons about the consequences of letting structural inequality in our nation’s critical systems go unchecked," said Elsie Harper-Anderson, associate professor and Ph.D. program director. "This book helps to unpack the policy implications and makes recommendations to chart a more equitable path forward.”
“Emblematic of the Wilder School’s national reputation for advancing social equity analysis and remedies, this volume squarely examines pre-existing inequities magnified by COVID. Extremely accessible and timely, it’s more than a thought leadership resource — it’s a clarion call to action.”
– Susan Gooden, dean of the Wilder School
Explore the book chapters
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 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