Crossings TV Asian Television – Home to Asian Americans
SEATTLE, June 9 — This week, King County and local community
organizations will partner with Ms. Tina Knowles Lawson’s #IDIDMYPART campaign
and Beyoncé’s BeyGood initiative. The partnership will provide two days of
free drive-through COVID-19 testing and essential supplies distribution
in South King County cities, where Black and brown communities are suffering
disproportionately from coronavirus.
Attendees
can receive zero charge on-site testing, as well as community care packages,
diapers, and toiletries for free, thanks to Matthew 25 Ministries with
sponsorship by Procter & Gamble.
“I
could not be prouder and elated that organizations in King County, Washington,
stepped up in such a responsible way,” said Knowles Lawson. “It is
imperative that we remember during these difficult times, when we are fighting
for social justice, that we are also in a pandemic that is killing people at an
alarming rate. We are dealing with two diseases that are disproportionately
ravaging the Black community; COVID-19 and racism. We have to do all we can to
combat both.”
“Testing
is important to know our status, to keep safe and to prevent spreading this
horrible disease to our loved ones,” Knowles Lawson added. “Please take
advantage of the free testing that is being offered in your city.”
Essential
workers and people of color who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, or who have
been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 are encouraged to be
tested, keeping in mind that individuals could have no symptoms yet still be
contagious.
Knowles
Lawson launched the #IDIDMYPART campaign in April, 2020 with Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD
initiative to promote and broaden testing in Black and brown communities that
are suffering disproportionately during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’ve
always known that Black and brown communities face barriers to quality
healthcare compared to white communities,” said Hamdi Mohamed, King County
Policy Advisor for the Executive Office of Equity and Social Justice.
“We see it in high maternal mortality rates for Black women, we see it in
disproportionately high populations of uninsured people in communities of
color, and we see it now in the COVID-19 crisis, as people of color are being
affected at a rate nearly two-and-a-half times higher than that of whites. At
the County, we are partnering with Ms. Tina Knowles Lawson, BeyGood and local
organizations like the Somali Health Board, to directly address the disparities
we are witnessing and break down barriers to testing.”
“The
COVID-19 pandemic is deepening already-existing health disparities in
communities of color, immigrants and refugees,” said Dr. Ahmed Ali,
Somali Health Board Executive Director. “Through these community-led
testing events, in partnership with the health systems, the Somali Health Board
ensures that the most vulnerable members of our communities have access to
testing opportunities within their own neighborhood.”
Day 1: June 13, 2020, 11AM-5PM
Where:
HealthPoint
Administration 955 Powell Ave SW Renton, WA 98057
Day 2: June 14, 2020, 11AM-5PM
Where:
SeaMar
31405 18th Ave S, Federal Way, WA 98003
More
information is available online at http://ididmypartkingcounty.com.