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The essay uses this staggering number to anchor a broader critique of:

He reflects on the danger posed to his ninety-year-old grandmother, a Black woman from Mississippi with a compromised immune system, whose caregiver had contracted the virus. 125039

Laymon juxtaposes the mounting death toll with the refusal of leaders, like Donald Trump and Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, to mandate masks or acknowledge policy errors. The essay uses this staggering number to anchor

While the Mississippi legislature finally agreed to remove the Confederate emblem from the state flag during this period, Laymon weighs this symbolic victory against the ongoing physical and economic toll on Black communities. that address the intersection of race and the pandemic

that address the intersection of race and the pandemic. How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America: Essays

The number is a central recurring figure in the essay "Day 10," written by Kiese Laymon . This piece is part of his 2020 collection, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America: Essays . Meaning of the Number

he uses to blend personal memoir with political commentary.