State Crime, Native Americans and COVID-19

State Crime Journal Special Issue on the COVID-19 Pandemic and State Crime

Vol. 10, No. 1 (2021) open access

Laura Finley (Barry University, USA)

Already marginalized, American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/NA) face unique challenges from COVID-19. For one, they are disproportionately affected. In June 2020, the Navajo Nation had the highest rates of infection in the country (Navajo Nation Department of Health 2020). Native people make up only around one-tenth of New Mexico’s population but more than 55 percent of its coronavirus cases (New Mexico Department of Health 2020); in Wyoming AI/NA people are less than 3 percent of the state population, but make up more than one-third of its cases (Wyoming Department of Health 2020). Access to health care is limited, and AI/ NA peoples suffer higher rates of other diseases that make them more vulnerable to the pandemic (Strickland 2016). Poor sanitation, limited provisions of other necessary items like soap, disinfectant, and even clean water, inadequately staffed medical facilities, combined with existing poverty, large multigenerational families living together, unemployment and reduced chances to retain work at home exacerbate the problems for AI/NA peoples. This is all on top of tremendous discrimination…(read more)