Quarles: The pandemic is not over for Black people

Across the nation and in various counties in Maryland, mask mandates are being lifted. Politicians on all sides waiting for midterms and upholding promises to the business community have decided it’s OK to put Black lives at risk for personal gain. Black people know this game. Our whole lives are based on survival since the founding of this nation. Horrifically, Black people are always the first to be sacrificed and the last to be protected. Everything from the polluted air we breathe in our neighborhoods to mass incarceration and food insecurity are intentional symptoms of the legacy of racism.