Tillie Hogenson
Staff Reporter

In Minnesota, there are about 1,200 cases of the coronavirus, and 39 reported deaths. Governor Tim Walz recently extended the “stay at home” order through May 4, as the peak of coronavirus is supposed to hit Minnesota in summer.

Currently, the United States has become a society revolving around the coronavirus, with lots of racial stigma, xenophobia and stereotypes emerging. The CDC explains that fear and anxiety are one of the main causes of the stigma.

“People fear the unknown. When folks act on fear, there is a lot of ignorance that is accompanied by that. When people take action on that ignorance, oppression starts to take light. You see blatant racism, like slurs, spray painting, and language used,” Eva Watts, the AVP of Equity & Inclusion at North Hennepin Community College, said.

Governments, citizens, media influencers and more, should take steps to improve racial stigma. Some of these include spreading facts about coronavirus, raising people’s voices who have lived with coronavirus, and correcting the rumors, stereotypes, and myths about racism, the World Health Organization recommends.

“People can speak up or do something when hearing racist slurs or racist behaviors. People need to contradict any false information going around about the virus and stop relating it to a specific race and/or culture,” senior Rae Malik said.