JUNE 11, 2020 BY MICHAEL STONE
Deplorable: Ohio Senator Steve Huffman speculates that “the colored population” not washing their hands may be the “explanation” for rising rates of COVID-19.
New York Daily News reports:
Ohio state senator blames coronavirus pandemic on ‘colored’ people not washing their hands
Dayton Daily News reports:
During a hearing on whether to declare racism a public health crisis, state Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, asked if “the colored population” is hit harder by the coronavirus because perhaps they don’t wash their hands as well as other groups.
Ohio State Senator Steve Huffman, a white Republican, made his deplorable suggestion Tuesday during a committee hearing to determine whether the state should declare racism a public health crisis. While questioning Angela Dawson, the executive director of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health and a black woman, Huffman asked:
I understand that African Americans have a higher incidence of prior conditions and it makes them more susceptible to death from COVID. But why does it not make them more susceptible just to get COVID?
We know it’s twice as often. Correct? Could it just be that African Americans or the colored population do not wash their hands as well as other groups? Or wear a mask? Or do not socially distance themselves? Could that just be maybe the explanation of why there’s a higher incidence?
Dawson replied:
That is not the opinion of leading medical experts in this country.
In a statement, Democrat Rep. Stephanie Howse said:
The fact that a well-educated legislator, a vice chair of the Health Committee and a practicing medical doctor would, in a public setting, nonchalantly use such antiquated terminology paired with a hurtful, racist stereotype all in one breath reflects how unconscious this problem of racism is for too many.
Commenting on the deplorable remarks, J. Bennett Guess, Ohio ACLU executive director, said:
As a practicing physician of nearly 20 years, he knew precisely what type of harm his ignorant, heinous, and callously hurtful comments would have on communities of color in Ohio.
There is no reality where he can remain a member of the Ohio General Assembly and make decisions that affect the very communities he undermines and clearly holds such contemptible attitudes. This is what systemic institutionalized racism looks like, and this is how it manifests itself and oppresses the day-to-day lives of people of color.
After being widely condemned for his remarks, Huffman ultimately apologized:
Regrettably, I asked a question in an unintentionally awkward way that was perceived as hurtful and was exactly the opposite of what I meant. I was trying to focus on why COVID-19 affects people of color at a higher rate since we really do not know all the reasons.
The following is a sample of reactions to Huffman’s remarks via Twitter:
Bottom line: Ohio Senator Steve Huffman speculates that “the colored population” not washing their hands may be the “explanation” for rising rates of COVID-19.
*** UPDATE ***
Ohio GOP state senator fired from ER doctor job after using racist language
State Sen. Steve Huffman, a Dayton-area Republican, has been fired from his position as an emergency room doctor after using racist language to question whether people of color are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus because of poor hygiene.
