Justice. I question our leadership. If we cant get it right he now, when can we get it right . This is a special edition of nightline. Pandemic, a nation divided. As a parent, we always fear that well go before our children. For cassandra rollins, the grief is still raw. It feels like an open wound. Its a deep hurt. Its actually painful. This hurt has actually got physical. Its unexplainable. Hey, yall. Last month, her daughter, a mother of two, smiling and joking just days before she died. Its like its torture in this house, but we see a blessing. Taken by covid19. The first to die in county. County. Now grieving a chi system she says treats you differently if youre black. Mississippi has come a long way, but mississippi has a long way to go. The Health Care System is failing us. When you are poor, health care is not as good for mississippi. Its majestic magnolia trees, lazy rivers, fogtopped hills, but buried in this rich and dark soil, the bitter fruit of slavery and a steady diet of despair, not impossible, but difficult to break. Growing up in mississippi, black and brown means the least, not the best, the least, the leftovers, the crumbs that no one else wants. Here, the pandemic is exploiting an already toxic mix. Deeplyingrained racism and historic lack of access to health care. All hitting the black and brown communities that comprise mississippis essential workforce. And the covid19 disparity shows it. Mississippi has the largest black population in the nation. Africanamericans make up more than a third of the population but account for more than half of the states deaths. For every life taken by covid19, its a family, a community, broken and forever changed. Shalandra wasnt just my daughter, she was my friend. She was a light, a public schoolteacher beloved by her students and those who knew her best. No matter how much she was going through it, she always made a way. In late march, she and her daughter michelan both got sick and went to the doctor. She was telling me about headaches, she normally didnt have headaches. She went to the doctor. He gave her a z pack for flu. Never tested her for covid. She also had diabetes, when her symptoms didnt get any better, shalandra took her family to the hospital. We had to almost fight for a test. We was constantly saying weve been exposed. So i just had to tell them that i was diabetic. Home to nearly 3 million people, mississippi is the poorest state in the union. Studies show blacks get inferior health care and suffer negative stereo typing. In nearly every category, mississippi consistently ranks dead last or close to it. Shalandras results came back positive. Two days later, later, later, l, her mother fall. When the ambulance arrived she was still responsive, but within an hour her heart stopped. This is what really, truly hurts me and gets me. She left home. I would give it no more than minutes. They tell me shes gone. The last thing she told me was i love you and stay strong. Because of the restrictions, they could not have a proper funeral, just a service by the grave site. Still reeling from the death of her son last year, this almost broke her. At least with my son, my family could fly in and be by myself. This time, me and my daughter sherry had to do this all our own. It hit home for the mayor. The two were childhood classmates. This has taken away real a. During this pandemic, the 37 democrat has been in a war with tait reeves. Reeves has started to reopen the state. Jackson is a predominantly black city. Youve made one calculation and the governor has made a different calculation. There seems to be an element of race in that to me. Well, i wont speak to the values or the personal beliefs of the he governor and whether he doesnt care about black and brown communities, but i can say that black and brown communities are most adversely affected. We have a Public Health crisis in this state and in this country, while at the same time we have an economic crisis. One of the things that weve been trying to do to protect our africanamerican population is weve worked very hard to get as much as information, as much education out. With the pandemic killing so many people of color, the mayor sees equal access to health care as his generations most important battle. People cant afford to be sick. So they are confronted with, you know, dinner table discussion about how they put food on the table or how they pay for the muchneeded medical attention. Thats especially true for workers in one of the nations most crucial industries. The pred ordering the Meat Processing plants to stay open. Here in mississippi, chicken is king. The poultry industry generates more than 2. 5 billion each year. It directly employs more than 25,000 people, many who cant perform their jobs from home and therefore are at greater risk for catching the disease, workers like 50 year old Clara Kincaid. Seems like she was beloved by her family. Absolutely. She was the backbone of our family. Reporter she had worked at the peco plant for year 2 20 years. She started getting sick in april. She was coughing like crazy, couldnt hardly get her breath. Weve talked to ten employees at poultry plants in mississippi and they all say theyre afraid to talk out of fear for retaliation. Did she ever express that kind of concern . Yes. The retaliation would have been fear of losing your job or position. Black and brown people, we just dont have a lot of choices. People have to do what they have to do. Shes a single mom. Shes got four boys to take care of. By the time clara went to get tested she had to drive to another county 40 miles away. After which, her family says she was sent back home. Two days later, Clara Kincaid died. Her cause of death, acute respiratory arrest and covid19. All of them are considered essential workers, right . To feed americas families. Now her family is without their mother. What does it mean to be black in mississippi . In the midst of covid19 . Ill tell you this. Had she been, yeah. Anything but black or brown, i think she would have gotten the care that she needed. They would not have sent her home to die. And she deserved better. She really deserved better. They get up every morning, going to work, knowing that covid19 is in the facility. Theyre our heroes. You hear me . Randy hadley represents a union that advocates for poultry workers. Claire wh clara wasnt one of his workers, but he speaks for the workers in mississippi. If these people dont go to work there would be no poultry on the shelves. There have been more than 3500 cases in mississippi. You have as many as 600 to 700 people. And think york on an assembly line. Theres no way that they can run a poultry operation and people stand six foot apart. Theres just absolutely no way. Reporter he says government safety guidelines arent enough. Workers need testing done weekly. Peco foods tells abc news they were unaware claras death was related to covid19. At the time of her death they add there had been no covid19 cases at the plant. According to the company they now provide he ppe and have adopted the late east recommendations including temperature checks. They provide paid time off for employees affected by covid19. [ speaking in Foreign Language ] despite the risk, in these small towns, these are often the best jobs available. This man asked that we not use his name or face. He says he worked at the peco plant in sebastopol. [ speaking in Foreign Language ] last august he was arrested in a sweeping i. C. E. Raid, considered the largest crackdown in state history. Involving hundreds of agents, fanning out over six cities in mississippi. [ speaking in Foreign Language ] peco foods uses everify and says it did not know at the time its workers were undocumented. This worker was taken to a correctional facility in louisiana where he stayed for nine months. He says in his holding area there were up to 44 people. [ speaking in Foreign Language ] i. C. E. Confirms there have been 62 cases at the prison and that now all i. C. E. Detainees are issued cloth masks, a policy that did not begin until mid april. As for this worker, his case is ongoing. He recalls his last birthday spent in detention. [ speaking in Foreign Language ] the day we spoke with cassandra rollins, it was also her birthday. This birthday not easy. At all. Shes raising her two grandchildren now. In their eyes, she sees her beloved shalandra. That gives me hope, that gives me a lot of hope. Hope has had a hard life in many parts of mississippi. Here, deep in the delta for so many, that day has yet to appear. I blame america and the Health Care System. Thats who i blame. Because i feel like it could have been prevented. She had a bright future. When whe come back, one on oe with reverend dr. Barber and plans to build a better america. Iits not acceptable oor nothing. And its definitely not close enough or nothing. Mercedesbenz suvs were engineered with only one mission in mind. To be the best. In the category, in the industry, in the world. Now, get 0 apr financing up to 36 months on most models and 90day firstpayment deferral on any model. Mercedesbenz. The best or nothing. Michael vasquez come over here. Ive heard such good things about you, your company. Well, i wouldnt have done any of it without you. Without this place. This is for you. Michael, you didnt have to. And, were going to need some help with the rest. Youve worked so hard to achieve so much. Perhaps its time to partner with someone who knows you and your business well enough to understand what your wealth is really for. Holmes county, mississippi is considered one of the most impoverished counties in the state. I was on the ground last year with dr. William barber, part of a movement dedicated to seeking justice for the poor. Hes not afraid to use his bully pulpit to affect change. I spoke with him about how the pandemic has affected the poorest of the poor. Reverend barber, thank you so much for joining us. I see you with your mask on, that tells us how seriously you take. Pandemic. Your perspective, are the states reopening too soon . Theyre opening too soon at the expense of poor and lowincome working people and the expense of the american people. This false choice that you have to either open up or go to work and possibly die is a choice. It didnt have to be this way. The issue is to open up properly. And properly means we would make sure people have health care, make sure we have testing, make sure we did the tracking. Make sure we have the ppes that are necessary. Make sure people have the kind of protections for rent forgiveness and maintain their water, but weve not done any of that. As one worker said, it feels like were being led to what is called policy mass murder, because were being forced to go into work for our livelihood, when we should not have to do that. Were in a situation right now for people who live hand to mouth, paycheck to paycheck, there is a stark choice between do i go back to work right now to feed my family or wait this out. How do you accomplish both those things . I think we have to stand up and fight. And thats what people are saying now. We may have to go to work to live. But were aalso going to organize. We demand an agenda that cares for poor and lowworking payment. If we have to die, were not going to die quietly. Were going to raise our voices. If were in the process of using our last breath, were going to breathe love and justice into this american expeerment. Reverend, those demands have been on the table long before either one of us was born. Theres traditionally been an issue of Health Care Accessibility in areas with high poverty. I live in a rural area. Part of the problem is, for too long weve had too many people in power too comfortable with other peoples desperation and other peoples death. We have not provided what is necessary for working class people, for poor and lowincome low wage workers. We call them essential workers as a title. But many of them feel more like expendable, like Clara Kincaid who died in a meat packer in mississippi. How does america come out of this crisis better, you think . What will we learn that will be improved upon you think . Im a hopeful person. I know too much about the evils of society. I look at history. Many times in the darkest moments, in the toughest moments, people have come together, and people have risen up. I have my, my faith actually begins in the graveyard, with crucifixion. Theres always a resurrection. People are dying, people are hurting, but over this country im seeing all over that people are also standing up. I would say to america, i would say very clearly to america, that if america cant get it right in a pandemic thats threatening all of our mortality, if we cant get it right in the midst of a pandemic that has shown us that one little germ can shut down the whole country and shut down the world, if we cant get it right and build this economy from the bottom up and care forepeople fr from the bottom shame on us. I question our leadership. If we cant get it right now, when are we going to get it right . In fact we better get it right because all of our lives literally depend on it. I think we just heard a sermon. Thank you for joining us. Bless you, my friend. . 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From his house jimmy hello, im jimmy. Welcome to my home. But please dont touch anything. We ran out of clorox wipes in march. Today for me is day 70 of stayathome. I have now been in this house, this is true, longer than it took columbus to get to the new world. We are in nina, pinta and santa maria territory now. Thats the kind of fact you learn after youve seen every single thing on netflix. The long weekend is is it here yet . How will we know . Tomorrow, we head into memorial day weekend. Its time to get those bodies banana breadready travel will be down this year obviously. But not for our family. This year for memorial day, were packing up the kids and taking them to the laundry room. Donald trump is on the road. Our hydroxy poppin president. On the way to michigan. Gave us an important update on his stint as human guinea piginchief. I think its another day. I had a twoweek regimen of hydroxychloroquine. And ive taken it, i think just about two weeks. I think its another day, so,