Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

"I Felt What Was Happening In Our Country [Usa] With Race Was So Much Scarier Than The [Covid-19] Virus.” Black Lives Matter Protesters’ Beliefs And Practices During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Evelyn Arana-Chicas, Brooke D. Jones, Francisco Cartujano-Barrera, Ana Paula Cupertino

Journal of Health Ethics

This study describes the COVID-19 prevention practices and beliefs of Black Lives Matter protesters in the U.S. Participants completed a survey on following COVID-19 guidelines and answered interview questions. Twenty participants were enrolled. Mean age was 29 and most were female (80%) and black (75%). Participants almost always wore their masks (75%) and washed their hands (85%) while protesting. Most reported rarely social distancing (55%) and not being concerned about COVID-19 (55%). Themes included: 1) Fighting for social justice, 2) Protesting is more important than COVID-19, 3) Unable to social distance, 4) Masks mostly worn, 5) Protests sparked global movement, …