Submitted by Senator Brenda Gilmore
NASHVILLE, TN — Black Ministers, who are a part of the Nashville City Missionary Baptist District Association, are calling on the members of their churches and the community to meet them Monday, May 4, 2020 at one of the three (3) community sites to get tested. The testing sites offer drive through testing.
The Coronavirus is killing Black people at a higher rate. In Nashville the fatality rate of Black Nashvillians is about 40% of the deaths. According to the president, Rev. Michael Joyner, of the Nashville City Missionary Baptist District Association, “We are trying to save lives. Every life matters and Black people are dying at an alarming rate. The preachers are setting an example by getting tested and urging all Nashvillians to come and get tested. Let’s do our part to flatten this curve of this horrible virus and save lives.”
In most instances, Black neighborhoods are being devastated because it is made up of people who cannot afford to stay home. They are the essential workers, multigenerational families live in close quarters because of the lack of affordable housing and these are some of the Tennesseans who lack access to quality and affordable health care.