Here's What Happened When I Told Congress The Black And Ugly Truth About Long COVID

This author is educating the public on the importance of including Black people in research on long-haul COVID-19.

Had it been any day before March 22, 2020, I probably would have said something more intricate and pristine. My words would have been shiny and flattering. I would have smiled more. I may have even told one of the top three stories I keep in my mind’s chamber to charm strangers; the kind of story that starts with a challenge but ends in happiness, joy and redemption. But it was 402 days later  —  a year after I became deathly ill with long-haul COVID-19, a medical condition that causes coronavirus symptoms to persist months after the initial viral infection.  I had lost my vision, money, and most of all, my beloved teaching career. I didn’t have any fancy epithets to describe the current state of my health after I had suffered for so long.