Georgia’s Rush to Re-Open

Hello, Everybody,

     I have something to say about Georgia. It’s on my mind. Specifically, the state of Georgia’s headlong rush to reopen its economy on April 24^th. It was among the first states to end its lockdown by opening some of its businesses to the public.

     When I heard which places Georgia would first open to the public, I thought it was a really strange assortment. Not parks and beaches and golf courses in outdoor spaces. No. Georgia announced it would re-open:

      Barber shops, beauty shops, nail salons, tattoo parlors and gyms. Except for the fitness centers, all the other places require close physical contact between the worker and the customer.  It is Impossible to do someone’s hair and maintain a 6-foot social distance.

       Then I got a message, you know, a video clip someone sent me on social media that had no identification. But I listened to a black man’s little diatribe about the kinds of businesses Georgia opened up and he pointed out that the services were those most often used by black people. I do know that black women never want to go long without getting their hair and nails done. The same is true of black men needing haircuts or wanting to try the latest styles. 

      The man concluded that Georgia’s political leaders were using black people as guinea pigs to see if they caught the coronavirus. Let the damage be done to the black folks, not the white people who are more frequently choose other establishments.

      I’m not agreeing with that premise, but it does make me suspicious. And it doesn’t help that scientists are also accusing Georgia now, of cooking its books. The state is accused of manipulating statistics to show that its virus problem is in decline when researchers think it is not. Georgia…Georgia.

Until next time.