MEC professor wants better COVID-19 communication
By Nelson A. King
Stating that while New York
City Mayor Bill DeBlasio and
Gov. Andrew Cuomo should be
given “great credit” for keeping
“average” New Yorkers
informed through daily briefings,
a Medgar Evers College
(MEC) professor in Brooklyn,
who specializes in emergency
and disaster management,
wants better communication
for immigrant and minority
communities, including the
Caribbean community in the
Big Apple, amid the coronavirus
(COVID-19) pandemic.
Prof. Gregorio Mayers, a tenured
professor in MEC’s Department
of Public Administration,
who was born in Panama to
Barbadian parents, told Caribbean
Life on Monday that “a
lot of that information is not
getting to many communities,
where language barriers exist
or where people are already
working on the frontlines.
“In a city, with over 175 languages,
where cultural and
social norms are widely interpreted
differently, there is a call
for better communications,”
said Mayers, who is also a political
strategist and lawyer. “A
stronger means of communication
Caribbean L 8 ife, May 8-14, 2020
and outreach is needed,
and must take a multi-faceted
approach.
“Working with trusted
entities, such as the various
religious institutions such as
churches, mosques and temples,
is necessary and would
assist with this effort,” added
Mayers, who was a senior policy
advisor in the administration
of former New York City Mayor
Michael Bloomberg. “Partnering
with their respective leaders,
who these communities
already see as credible and
trustworthy, would go a long
way in improving this necessary
communication.”_
Mayers said national and
local not-for-profit organizational
networks should be
engaged, “because they have
gained the trust of the communities
and would be key in the
quick dissemination of critical
information.”
He noted that organizations
— such as the National Association
for the Advancement
of Colored Peoples (NAACP),
the Urban League, the Allianza
Dominicana Cultural Center,
Catholic Charities, Hispanic
Federation and the Haitian-
American Business Network
– have been informing their
members and merchants on “a
wide range of pertinent information”
– from the importance
of face coverings to key provisions
of the Small Business
Administration (SBA) loan programs
for small businesses.
Mayers also said local community
and ethnic newspapers,
radio and online programs
“can, and should, be used as
trusted outreach outlets.
“These reliable channels of
communication are embedded
in immigrant and minority
communities providing appropriate
sensitivities and protocols,
which aid in keeping communities
up to date on COVID-
19 related matters,” he said.
Mayers — whose teaching
expertise also lies in the
areas of State and Local Government,
Administrative and
Regulatory Law, Criminal Law
and Not-For-Profit Management
– said community boards
and precinct councils, which
are often on the frontline interfacing
with members of the
public, are “already playing an
integral role in the dissemination
of information.
“They are seen as dedicated
staples of local government
coming from within the communities
they serve,” he said,
adding that block associations
and tenant association leaders
are also “another under-utilized,
yet highly effective way
to the community.”
Mayers noted that several
local legislators have even gone
a step further from their normal
functions in introducing
and passing laws in “this age of
COVID-19.”
“They are informing constituents
of testing sites and other
relevant agency services, aiding
through tele-town halls, social
media, e-mails and direct distributions
platforms,” he said.
While inviting subject matter
experts and community and
faith-based leaders has proved
effective in drawing larger online
attendance to these sessions,
Mayers said “what is now
needed is for the information
to continue to trickle down
through their respective networks,
organizations and congregants.
Prof. Gregorio Mayers. Prof. Gregorio Mayers
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