By Nancy Martinez

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had shown a light on socioeconomically disadvantaged communities and how they navigated this sudden change. Charlotte Yeung, author of Rippling Fire, took inspiration from this to write her novella. In Episode 7 of the Read to Heal Podcast, she long with our hosts Madi and Harnoor, discussed how, as young adults during lockdown, they saw the problems that the pandemic brought forth from a different perspective, ranging from unequal education to lack of support for mental health.

One of the biggest problems that they saw was online learning. As schools transitioned online, some students were unable to participate due to lack of internet or the devices needed to complete assignments and sign in to meetings. Madi mentioned how other students did not have access to the benefits that their schools offered, such as free meals. A report from the Department of Education stated even more educational consequences from the pandemic, such as a lack of opportunities for communities of color, disadvantages for English Language Learners, disparities for students with disabilities, and risks faced by LGBTQ+ students at home.  The support and resources that they accessed by being physically in school was no longer available, leading to a decline in learning and mental wellbeing.

Charlotte mentioned that because these families already had fewer resources, finding good quality masks that were sold at affordable prices was difficult, adding to the inequality that they faced during an uncertain time. Furthermore, families from low-income backgrounds could not afford to stay home and quarantine, since many of their jobs would take the opportunity to fire them and easily hire another worker. They had to travel in populated areas, and return home to a full house, making it nearly impossible to follow the guidelines set by the CDC. As Harnoor summarizes it, “It showed the failures of the system that ha[s] been created.”

Now, two years later, these issues have been minimized, but the overall problem still exists. As someone who had grown up in a low-income household, I have seen my community scramble to adjust to the changing economy. People continue to face an imbalance of resources. Families struggled to find gas stations that had lower prices, especially in urban cities, and the cost of living has risen overall. The price of groceries have gone up, along with the rent for apartments.

Charlotte Yeung and our hosts bring a youth perspective to this national conversation. Check out Episode 7 of the Read to Heal podcast on Novelly’s YouTube channel for that and more.

Nancy Martinez is a senior at Camino Nuevo High School Dalzell Lance. As a part of Novelly's Summer 2022 internship program, she is excited to be a part of change that comes from raising the voices of youth in today's society.

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