British Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, whose department also oversees equalities, criticized the London museum for its research which found that higher rates of death among ethnic minorities during plague outbreaks in the Middle Ages were linked to systemic racism.
⠀
The study analyzed the remains of 145 people buried in three plague cemeteries in London. Scientists have found that the proportion of ethnic minorities and people from black Africa in them is significantly higher than in other types of cemeteries. The researchers concluded that this was due to the “devastating effects of structural racism” in the medieval world.
⠀
Additionally, the study authors drew parallels with the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that in both cases, “the social and economic environment played a significant role in people’s health, and it is most likely because of this that we are finding more people of color and descendants of black people from Africa.”
⠀
The minister pointed out the small sample size given that “more than half the population of London died at that time.” Referring to statistical data, she also noted the inconsistency of comparing the pandemic with outbreaks of plague, since during the spread of the omicron strain of coronavirus infection, the incidence of the disease among black women was lower than among the white population.
⠀
“It is important that ethnic minorities can trust our health services and that they receive reliable evidence-based health information,” she added.
