St. Louis Department Of Health Focusing On African American Women With New Coronavirus Campaign

Press release from the City of St. Louis:

May 8, 2020

#QueensOfTheCity Effort Launching Mother’s Day Weekend

African American women diagnosed with COVID-19 at more than double the rate of all other women in the city

With data revealing African American women are impacted by the coronavirus more than any other group in the City of St. Louis, the Department of Health is launching a new campaign to reach, inform and educate black women about COVID-19.

On Mother’s Day weekend, the city will launch the #QueensOfTheCity campaign, urging African American women across metro St. Louis to share COVID-19 prevention information on social media accounts.

“Our community is built on the love, passion and perseverance of black women in our lives — women who are more likely to be exposed to the virus and have preexisting conditions that may make them sicker if they catch COVID-19,” said Dr. Fredrick Echols, City of St. Louis Director of Health. “These women fight for us in so many ways, sometimes when we don’t and can’t fight for ourselves, and sometimes in risk of their own lives.”

African American women are diagnosed with COVID-19 at more than double the rate of all other women in the City of St. Louis, a trend seen nationwide, as predominantly black communities are disproportionately impacted by the spread of the coronavirus.

Dr. Echols will talk about the campaign and the virus’ effect on women in the African American community at 6 p.m. on a Facebook Live broadcast of the Static Podcast, with host Staci Static, at www.facebook.com/stacistatic2.

The #QueensOfTheCity campaign focuses on a simple (yet often forgotten) principle: “We Are Our Sister’s Keeper.” The platform is also an opportunity for women of color to showcase their beauty, uniqueness, and love during a time where our nation celebrates the important role of mothers -- and all those “mothers by other names” that nurture so many of us in our communities and careers.

For more information, or to join, visit stlouis-mo.gov/covid-19.

This press release was produced by the City of St. Louis. The views expressed here are the author’s own.