95% of Doctors Who Died Were Black | Why Was This Not a National Scandal?

from Rigour & Flow with Aiwan and Tamanda

95% of doctors who died during COVID-19 were Black and racially minoritised. And at the height of the pandemic, while making up only 14% of the population, Black and minoritised communities accounted for 63% of all healthcare worker deaths. Why was the risk so unevenly distributed? It’s time to stop sitting with the numbers and shift the stakes. In this Feedwarmer edition, Tamanda and Aiwan revisit a 2021 conversation to dismantle the deep-seated racial disparities in UK healthcare. Featuring Rianna Raymond-Williams (Ree Speaks) and Michael Hamilton (The Ubele Initiative), we explore how youth-led organising like the "We Need Answers" campaign forced accountability onto the national agenda. From public health activism to the deeper architecture of systems change, we ask: Who is protected? Who is exposed? And what must happen now? 🎙️ In this episode:The 95% Reality: What COVID-19 revealed about racial inequality in the UKThe Frontline Cover Up: Why black and racially minorised doctors were sent to the frontline over their white colleagues and what this reveals about a lack of institutional safetyWe Need Answers: The power of youth-led organising and how it put accountability onto the agendaUnhealthy Structural Racism: What could happen when data confirms what communities already know?Moving up the “Funding Food Chain”: Why black organisations must shift from "firefighting" on small, unpredictable grants to controlling large-scale institutional capital 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts 🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/L5WdH5NZiIA🔁 Share with someone thinking about systems, power and change    ☕ Want to support the show? Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/rigourandflow     Subscribe for more critical deep-dives into power, class and the Black experience. And be ready for the launch of Season 5 next week!  Please rate, review and subscribe for weekly episodes.Connect with us on:TikTokInstagramLinkedInAiAi StudiosRoots & RigourThis is an AiAi Studios Production©AiAi Studios 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What this episode covers

95% of doctors who died during COVID-19 were Black and racially minoritised. And at the height of the pandemic, while making up only 14% of the population, Black and minoritised communities accounted for 63% of all healthcare worker deaths. Why was the risk so unevenly distributed? It’s time to stop sitting with the numbers and shift the stakes. In this Feedwarmer edition, Tamanda and Aiwan revisit a 2021 conversation to dismantle the deep-seated racial disparities in UK healthcare. Featuring Rianna Raymond-Williams (Ree Speaks) and Michael Hamilton (The Ubele Initiative), we explore how youth-led organising like the "We Need Answers" campaign forced accountability onto the national agenda. From public health activism to the deeper architecture of systems change, we ask: Who is protected? Who is exposed? And what must happen now? 🎙️ In this episode:The 95% Reality: What COVID-19 revealed about racial inequality in the UKThe Frontline Cover Up: Why black and racially minorised doctors were sent to the frontline over their white colleagues and what this reveals about a lack of institutional safetyWe Need Answers: The power of youth-led organising and how it put accountability onto the agendaUnhealthy Structural Racism: What could happen when data confirms what communities already know?Moving up the “Funding Food Chain”: Why black organisations must shift from "firefighting" on small, unpredictable grants to controlling large-scale institutional capital 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts 🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/L5WdH5NZiIA🔁 Share with someone thinking about systems, power and change ☕ Want to support the show? Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/rigourandflow Subscribe for more critical deep-dives into power, class and the Black experience. And be ready for the launch of Season 5 next week! Please rate, review and subscribe for weekly episodes.Connect with us on:TikTokInstagramLinkedInAiAi StudiosRoots & RigourThis is an AiAi Studios Production©AiAi Studios 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.