In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, some communities have seemingly come together to tackle the effects of the virus, and governments have responded to public health recommendations and implemented mandatory mask-wearing in an effort to keep everyone safe… well, almost everyone. The onset of mandatory mask regulations has presented heightened experiences of harassment for Black individuals and thus has forced them to make difficult decisions surrounding safety. A common question is, “should I protect myself from getting sick or should I risk experiencing physical and/or mental abuse?
An example of this kind of discrimination took place on March 18th, 2020 when twoBlack men were escorted out of Illinois Wal-Mart by a police officer because they looked ‘suspicious’ when wearing their masks (Jan, 2020). These men got kicked out of Wal-Mart not just because of unwarranted misjudgement, but also because of racist assumptions.Contemporary ideologies of race lead to discrimination and violence against Black individuals when they are wearing masks. Ideologies are deeply rooted within institutional systems and are enacted into daily life.
In order to understand the racism in mask-wearing, it is imperative to briefly review the development of these ideas and why they are still ingrained in Western society. Current racist perceptions have been sparked from the history of slavery and the Jim Crow era. Specifically,during the institution of slavery, Black bodies were deemed as ‘docile’ in that they were easy to control (Smiley & Fakunle, 2016, p. 352). By labelling Black people as ‘docile’, white people were able to reside at the top of the racial hierarchy. However, this conception began to change once the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments were added to the American Constitution and Black people were able to gain more economic, social and political status - which challenged white supremacy and power (Smiley & Fakunle, 2016, p. 353). This challenge to white supremacy reinstated new shifts in power where Black people were able to increase their status and defy the traditional racist hierarchy. Hence, during the Jim Crow era emerged this imagination of Black people (specifically males) being more prone to violent acts (Smiley & Fakunle, 2016, p. 353).
This brings us to our current political climate. In a pre-COVID world, there were bans against mask-wearing in public. Briefly, these anti-mask laws were originally instated to prevent KKK terrorism; unfortunately, these mandates gradually became motives for political gain to seem “compatible with a progressive South” (Lawrence, 2020 p. 13). Without proper enforcement from officials, the anti-mask laws shifted focus away from white supremacy and towards masked individuals in a general context related to crime (Lawrence, 2020 p. 14).Thereby, these anti-mask laws did not actually protect Black Americans.
According to social constructivism, daily, repetitive constructions become internalized as truth and becomes a shared understanding of society (Smiley & Fakunle, 2016, p. 352). The idea of Black male aggression, then, is a construction that slowly became idealized as a truth – when in reality, it was an excuse to utilize excessive force on Black individuals to rid them of any upward economic/political/social mobility (Smiley & Fakunle, 2016, p. 353). Contemporarily,there has been a shift from overt racism to an underlying entity that exists below the surface.However, there is still an association of Black people being violent and ultimately ‘criminal’(Smiley & Fakunle, 2016). Historical narratives such as these foster current understandings ofBlack individuals and underpin institutional roots of fear.
In modern contexts, anti-mask laws disproportionally affect Black individuals due to heavily misguided racial profiling by officials. Professor Cyntoria Johnson (as cited byLawrence, 2020, p. 24) outlines that there is an association between Black men covering their faces with bandanas (or other ordinary cloths) and gang activity. Again, in application with constructivism, politically charged dialogue (such as laws and other social representations) have combined this narrative of Black individuals being violent with racist assumptions of their ‘way of life’ or ‘gang membership’; therefore, creating this cultural picture of Black people being a‘danger’ to society, especially when masked.
Now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Black men are forced to make tough decisions regarding their own health and safety due to outdated historical beliefs. As quoted by AaronThomas (2020), “I want to stay alive, but I also want to stay alive” – highlighting the choice between health and harassment. Since the mandatory enforcement of mask-wearing, Black people have been utilizing a variety of strategies to limit their exposure to danger. For instance,choosing friendly-looking masks (Daley, 2020) or participating in mask-tipping – where Black individuals pull down their masks when entering a public space to identify themselves as non-harmful (Mola-Schmidt, 2020). Black individuals must complete extra steps in an attempt to ensure their safety by accommodating to white comfort. In essence, masks have become something that can only occupy white spaces and in order for Black individuals to participate in mask-wearing safely, they must abide by the institutions and rules that are established by white people.
Mask-wearing is racialized, and the implementation of mandatory-use has lacked critical reflection towards Black experiences. In order to provide effective and safe measures for all citizens, there must be future consideration of the historical, cultural and lived experiences ofBlack individuals as these narratives shape current perceptions and shared understandings of society. The dismantling of the power injustice between Black individuals and white individuals in regard to mask-wearing is essential especially since much of our political climate is still rooted in historically white supremacist narratives. In conclusion, Black individuals need to be recognized as humans – humans who want to keep themselves safe. A basic request to be treated equally and with respect should not be something so difficult to obtain. Fundamentally, COVID-19 has seemingly advanced discussions about Black human rights in many ways, however, mask-wearing must be of higher priority.
References
Daley, True. (2020, Aug 11). The Politics and Privilege of Wearing A Mask. CBCParents. https://www.cbc.ca/parents/learning/view/the-politics-and-privilege-of-wearing-a-mask
Jan, T. (2020, April 9). Two black men say they were kicked out of Walmart for wearingprotective masks. Others worry it will happen to them. The Washington Post.https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/09/masks-racial-profiling-walmart-coronavirus/
Lawrence, C. (2020). Masking Up: A COVID-19 Face-off between Anti-Mask Laws and Mandatory Mask Orders for Black Americans.Caroline Lawrence & COVID-DynamicTeam, Masking Up: A COVID-19 Face-off between Anti-Mask Laws and MandatoryMask Orders for Black Americans, California Law Review Online (2020 Forthcoming).
Mola-Schmidt, Amelia. (2020, July 16). Dr. Jasmin Zine on the Racial Politics and WhitePrivilege of Mask Wearing During the Pandemic. CommunityEdition. https://communityedition.ca/dr-jasmin-zine-on-the-racial-politics-and-white-privilege-of-mask-wearing-during-the-pandemic/
Smiley, C., & Fakunle, D. (2016). From “brute” to “thug:” The demonization and criminalizationof unarmed Black male victims in America. Journal of human behavior in the socialenvironment, 26(3-4), 350-366.
Thomas, A. (2020, April 5). Why I don’t feel safe wearing a face mask. Boston Globe.https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/05/opinion/why-i-dont-feel-safe-wearing-face-