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MIAMI (WSVN) - As more and more cities continue to require homemade masks, the African American community is raising concerns, citing the masks can be viewed as dangerous.
Rueben Roberts, a representative for the Miami-Dade County NAACP chapter, said the homemade face coverings may be a recipe for racial profiling.
“There is a concern for how people may perceive an African American man wearing a mask,” Roberts said. “They see us as a threat or as they see us just like any normal citizen that may be wearing a hood or wearing a mask for COVID purposes.”
Gary Wright expressed similar fears the masks carry.
“It’s definitely been a concern for me,” he said. “We can’t allow those stigmas to keep us from being able to keep ourselves safe and not worry about someone actually causing harm to you.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended all Americans to wear homemade masks to protect them from being infected by the coronavirus.
According to published reports, African Americans have a greater risk of contracting the virus compared to others.
Roberts hopes the homemade masks are the only protection people of color will need.
“Don’t see us by our skin color, but see us as human, and that’s something we need folks to be able to do — see the humanity in people until they show you otherwise,” Roberts said.
Roberts is not urging people not to wear the masks, but he hopes the story can show others not to be afraid when they see the homemade masks.
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