125039 May 2026

In the context of the essay, represents the official U.S. death toll from COVID-19 as of the specific day Laymon was writing (late June 2020). Key Themes

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 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. In the context of the essay, represents the official U

The essay uses this staggering number to anchor a broader critique of: This piece is part of his 2020 collection,

He notes the disparity between the wealth generated by his speaking tours and the grueling manual labor his grandmother performed for decades to earn the same amount. If you'd like to dive deeper, I can help you with: Summarizing other essays in Laymon's collection.

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.