Photo Courtesy of Dan R. Dick
Sleepytime Boy
Earlier this year, before COVID-19 became news, I was tested for possible sleep apnea. Just as I was scheduled for a diagnostic test at a local hospital, the coronavirus pandemic erupted and my test was put off for three months. The diagnosis was finally confirmed in May, and since then I’ve been learning to use a breathing machine at night to keep my collapsible airways open. The more I’ve used it, the better I’ve slept. The better I’ve slept, the more I’ve realized how much poor sleep was affecting my health.
Now I’ve learned that poor sleep is another symptom of the crises we’re facing. That’s true not just from anxieties that cause sleeplessness, but from other factors that rob people, especially people of color, from restorative sleep at night.
Nicole A. Cardoza, editor of the Anti Racism Daily newsletter, writes about “white fatigue,” a term according to Joseph E. Flynn, author of White Fatigue: Rethinking Resistance for Social Justice and professor at Northern Illinois University, is defined as the following:
"A quasi-form of white resistance in which white folks are understanding that racism is wrong, but get tired and frustrated with conversation about race because of its complexity" (Refinery 29).
Ms. Cardoza goes on: “We’re all going through a lot right now and being tired of it all isn’t a crime. But white fatigue in particular usually draws people out of the necessary work, causing attention to fade, movements to dwindle, and critical conversations on racism and discrimination to fall from the public eye.” This is important to know because, as we’ve noted many times, overcoming racism is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s urgent not to lose sight of the goal, and to have strength to carry requires that we give ourselves permission to rest when needed. This is especially true for people of color who have historically been denied sleep as part of their oppression and exploitation in predominantly white culture.
To find out more about how insufficient sleep affects your community, check out this interactive map on America’s Health Rankings website. I also recommend subscribing to Anti-Racism Daily. Although it’s only two months old, it’s a good way to see things from the viewpoints of Blacks and other people of color.
COVID-19 rebounding
Big news at the beginning of this week, as Dr. Deborah Birx, White House adviser on coronavirus, warns that the United States appears to have entered a “new phase” with the increase of infections and deaths, even in places like Massachusetts where COVID-19 was thought to be under control.
Historian Heather Cox Richardson writes in the Aug. 3 post of “Letters from an American”: “[Dr. Birx] warns that we are entering a ‘new phase’ of the pandemic, when the virus is everywhere and is spreading at such a pace that we could see more than 300,000 deaths by the end of the year. On Saturday, the national daily death toll from Covid-19 reached 1,198, exceeding 1000 for the sixth day in a row.
‘Birx implores people to wear masks and stay apart… but it is an argument falling on deaf ears among those who continue to believe that Covid-19 is a hoax. Texas is apparently not reporting a number of its cases; Mississippi is so overwhelmed officials don’t actually know what the numbers are, but they are storing bodies in refrigerated storage units.”
What does this mean for the church? In-person gatherings likely will continue to be restricted or banned; funeral services will be limited to immediate family; many more masks will be needed for communities with high infection rates; virtual worship and meetings will continue; and there will be a high need for lots of pastoral care, including for pastors. In other words, the pandemic is far from over.
Listen to Bill Moyers’ podcast interview with Dr. Richardson on why she began “Letters from an American” last October.
Media Mentions as of Aug. 3, 2020
Pastors 'overjoyed' as churches reopen in Sierra Leone – United Methodist News Service
Can churches' focus on race move from reconciliation to justice? – Religion News Service
Pastors and residents urge Cincinnati to drop charges against 500+ Black Lives Matter protesters – Religion News Service
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.