A heart wrenching, resonating read. The emphasis on Black men, though important, was overdone at times (b/c many of the patterns described apply to Black women too). Nevertheless, so many parts of this rang painfully true. Some examples... https://www.propublica.org/article/how-covid-19-hollowed-out-a-generation-of-young-black-men

I don't have to know the folks who were interviewed to get this b/c there are Black people (men & women) in my life like this. I have worried about them most as COVID has ravaged our communities, the folks who are pillars--& vulnerable in more ways than I can bear to think about.

The strenuous effort to live your life with dignity in the face of systems that refuse you that very thing--takes toll that leaves Black folks bereft of the resources (physical, material, emotional & otherwise) needed to survive this virus.

This right here from @Dr_S_Jefferson, who was quoted in the piece...whew

AND THIS. These experiences apply beyond Black men, though they are certainly gendered in particular and important ways.

And it take SO MUCH energy. So much. Energy that drains one's health.

Ostensibly "small" life experiences-over and over again-- really do take a toll.

And even as you navigate that, you're thinking about others. Tending to your family, to your community, to your people. Lifting and lifting, sometimes forgetting that there is a limit to how much weight you can bear. END.