NAACP's Derrick Johnson responds to Michigan COVID-19 stats about Blacks

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The seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic was initially diluted with jokes, jeers, and general disregard for the potential for fatality. Hundreds of thousands of reported infections and tens of thousands of deaths later, we get the picture loud and clear.

One of those early jokes came in the form of memes that conveyed the idea that Black folks couldn’t get coronavirus and that we could drink Henny and dance to “The Box” while the rest of society dies off. Sike. Joke’s on you.

According to PEOPLE, the state of Michigan has released the statistics about coronavirus broken down by racial lines and whew, chile. The joke. Is. On. You. The numbers are so shocking that the NAACP President Derrick Johnson had to make a public statement urging our people to stop f***ing around.

African Americans made up 35 percent of the state’s overall confirmed cases and accounted for 40 percent of Michigan’s 417 deaths related to the contagious respiratory virus, according to data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

African Americans make up 12 percent of Michigan’s population.

Of the state’s deaths, 26 percent were caucasian, 3 percent were “multiple races or other,” 1 percent was Asian/Pacific Islander, and 30 percent were unknown, according to the MDHHS’ data.

Let that sink in. The Michigan population is only 12% Black yet we are damn near HALF of the state’s COVID-related deaths.

Michigan’s chief medical executive, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, told the Detroit Metro Times that COVID-19 is “having a more significant effect on marginalized and poorer communities, particularly communities of color.”

“While COVID-19 can infect anyone regardless of race or class, African Americans have historically been more likely to have higher rates of chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer in the United States,” Khaldun told the outlet. “We know that people with these underlying medical conditions are more likely to become severely ill from COVID-19.”

Metro also pointed out that 25% of the state’s deaths occurred in Detroit, a city where 80% of the population is Black.

Please be careful folks. STAY YO A$$ AT HOME!