PRESS STATEMENT
For Immediate Release: June 23, 2020
Contact: Hamp Price, hamp@tnimmigrant.org
Tragic Death of Hamilton Co. Child Underscores Need for Increased Protections Against COVID-19 in Latinx Community
As Tennessee cases soar, disproportionate number of Latinx individuals suffer from governments’ failure to respond
NASHVILLE - The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported today that the Hamilton County Health Department confirmed the death of a Hispanic female child under 10 years old.
Chattanooga, located in Hamilton County, has one of the fastest growing rates of death due to COVID-19 in the United States. Latinx individuals make up 65% of positive cases in Hamilton County while making up only 6% of the total population.
In response to this crisis and shocking disparity, 18 organizations from across Tennessee cosigned a letter to state, county, and local governments last week demanding an urgent response proportionate to the crisis facing Latinx communities.
The following is a statement from Lisa Sherman-Nikolaus, policy director at the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC):
“The heartbreaking death of this young Hispanic child is the latest example of the tragedy unfolding in the Latinx community as cities and states across the nation fail to protect communities of color from the coronavirus pandemic. We grieve with the family, friends, and community of this child as they experience this devastating loss.
The devastatingly high rate of infection in the Latinx community demonstrates the deep racial inequities in our health and economic systems. Our communities can’t wait another day. We need local and state governments across Tennessee to take urgent action to reduce barriers and protect our families.”
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TIRRC is a statewide, immigrant and refugee-led collaboration whose mission is to empower immigrants and refugees throughout Tennessee to develop a unified voice, defend their rights, and create an atmosphere in which they are recognized as positive contributors to the state. Since its founding in 2001, TIRRC has worked to develop immigrant leadership, build the capacity of its immigrant-led member organizations, help immigrant community members understand and engage in the civic process, and educate the public about policies that would better promote integration of new immigrants and facilitate their full participation in US society. In just a few years TIRRC has grown from a grassroots network of community leaders into one of the most diverse and effective coalitions of its kind, a model for emerging immigrant rights organizations in the Southeast and throughout the United States.