Jerome Maddox, Vice President, Legal-Global and U.S. commercial vaccines, at GlaxoSmithKline.

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted American life in a manner unforeseen in our lifetimes. The public health and economic cost of this crisis is almost unfathomable and threatens to alter fundamentally how we work and live. While the return to something resembling normalcy depends on the global efforts of the scientific community to develop vaccines and therapeutics to contain and treat COVID-19, it's important for the Philadelphia legal community to recognize the various ways in which we can contribute locally during this crisis. While there are many means of contributing, two clear opportunities involve mobilizing and reaffirming our historic commitment to providing legal representation to underserved populations and supporting Chinese Americans and others of Asian descent that increasingly face racism and xenophobia in the wake of COVID-19.

As often has been the case historically, significant crises like this pandemic exacerbate preexisting differences in health, economic and social outcomes across race and class. As a result of historical differences in access to health care, economic and educational opportunity and housing, COVID-19 is having a disproportionate impact on minority and lower-income populations, especially African Americans, in infection rates, hospitalization and mortality. The data regarding infection and mortality rates in the African American community are especially glaring. In city after city (New York, Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, among others), African Americans suffer substantially higher disease burden and mortality. In New York City, for example, age-adjusted case rates are 74% higher and fatality rates over 100% higher for African Americans relative to Whites.

In Philadelphia, data on disease incidence by race are imprecise, but African Americans constitute 54% of the deaths, despite being roughly 45% of the population. Maps of the incidence of COVID-19 by zip code show the substantially greater disease burden in lower-income communities across Philadelphia. Both more likely to lack the ability to social distance at home and to be employed in service jobs that have been deemed essential, minority and lower-income populations are more likely to be exposed to and contract the coronavirus.

These populations also typically have much lower access to legal services. As a legal community, we should redouble our commitment to ensure that the underserved have adequate representation as they navigate the many legal issues and challenges wrought by this crisis. Inevitable increases in eviction actions necessitate mobilizing attorneys to represent tenants in landlord-tenant actions. Small businesses and individuals likely will need assistance navigating government programs and addressing tax issues. Parents and children will need assistance to ensure that there is reasonable access to public education if there is an ongoing need to conduct remote learning. Incarcerated persons likely will need assistance challenging the safety of prison conditions during COVID-19 outbreaks. People with disabilities may need representation related to the discriminatory denial of medical care during the pandemic. These are simply a few of the myriad needs that will arise on the post-COVID-19 legal landscape.

In addition, as a legal community, we must stand firm in opposition to racism and xenophobia directed at Chinese-Americans and others of Asian descent. The rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and bias is a troubling, if predictable, result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, there are similar previous episodes of anti-Asian bias in the wake of a pandemic, including the destruction of Chinatowns in Reno, Nevada and Honolulu and quarantines of Chinese in San Francisco during the bubonic plague outbreaks at the turn of the 20^th century. Philadelphia Diversity Law Group (PDLG) is proud signatory of the "Community Statement Regarding Anti-Asian Racism Associated with Coronavirus" drafted by the Asian-Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania (ABAPA) and the Anti-Defamation League. We must continue to be outspoken and resolute in our opposition to racism and mobilize to protect the civil liberties of Asian Americans and others that are scapegoated at this time due to fear, ignorance and hatred.

This pandemic likely will alter the legal industry fundamentally. As we adjust to these changes and, I hope, return soon to our offices, I trust that we will retain our commitment to supporting the underserved and leading the fight against racism.

H.W. Jerome Maddox is vice president, Legal-Global and U.S. commercial vaccines, at GlaxoSmithKline and co-president of the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group