Activist DeRay Mckesson Reveals COVID-19 Diagnosis

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DeRay Mckesson, a prominent voice of the Black Lives Matter movement, has contracted the coronavirus.

Thursday on Twitter, the civil rights activist revealed he tested positive for COVID-19 and began experiencing symptoms, such as loss of taste, last week.

Fortunately, the “Pod Save the People” podcast host says his “taste is beginning to come back” as he self-isolates.

While announcing his illness, the 34-year-old also highlighted the disturbing fact that COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted the black community.

“Black people are disproportionately victims of COVID-19. Racism pushes black people to the margins of society & there is less of every resource at the margins,” Mckesson exclaimed. “This is by design. We did not do this to ourselves. But it can undone in this lifetime. Healthcare is a right!”

Per state and CDC data collected by Mother Jones as of April 13, there has been an alarming imbalance between the African-American population of a state compared to the amount of COVID-19 deaths in that state.

While the black community makes up 6 percent of the populations of Wisconsin and Kansas, they also comprise nearly 40 percent and more than 30 percent, respectively, of the states’ coronavirus fatalities. Additionally, while African-Americans constitute 32 percent of Louisiana’s residents, they account for almost 60 percent of its COVID-19 deaths.

Mckesson also urged his followers to contact his volunteer effort, “While at Home,” if they have questions about the pandemic, or want to locate a nearby testing site.