“Paying attention is a form of reciprocity with the living world, receiving the gifts with open eyes and open heart.” Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
Before participating in the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge, you may have heard about the racial wealth gap, but were you familiar with the racial health gap?
There are significant racial and ethnic health disparities in the United States. The Commonwealth Fund has spent nearly 20 years researching health and healthcare in every state. Their 2024 State Health Disparities report highlights exceptional disparities between Black and American Indian/Alaskan Native populations, especially compared to White and Hispanic people. Black and American Indian/Alaskan Native people are “more likely to die from treatable conditions, more likely to die during during or after pregnancy and suffer serious pregnancy-related complications, more likely to lose children in infancy, and are at higher risk for many chronic health conditions, from diabetes to hypertension.”
The report goes on to make a connection between poor health outcomes for people of color and policy choices that have led to economic disparities, unequal educational opportunities, and housing segregation. When Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities access healthcare, they receive lower quality of health care than White people, even when other factors like insurance coverage, class, age, and severity of health conditions are similar (American Bar Association).
So what policy changes can help? (Source: The Commonwealth Fund 2024 State Health Disparities Report)
- Ensuring universal, affordable, and equitable health coverage
- Strengthening primary care and improving the delivery of services
- Reducing inequitable administrative burdens affecting patients and providers
- Investing in social services
Today’s Challenge
Read
- Declaration of Racism as a Public Health Crisis, from the City of Jackson. (3 mins) https://www.cityofjackson.org/DocumentCenter/View/7618/Resolution_-Racism?bidId=
- Check out this Fact Sheet from the American Psychological Association exploring the compounding impact of socioeconomic status and race on health. (10 mins) https://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/factsheet-erm.pdf
Watch
- Watch this TEDMED video to hear David. R Williams, a public health sociologist, discuss why race and deep-rooted systemic racism have such a profound impact on health. (17:19) https://www.ted.com/talks/david_r_williams_how_racism_makes_us_sick
- Racial Inequities in Health 2021 (14.01 mins)
- This video explores how systemic racism and discrimination drive health disparities in marginalized communities. 2024 (4:19 mins) Exposed: How Racism and Discrimination Fuels Health Disparities – The Untold Crisis
Listen
- Emergency Responders Confront Racial Bias (NPR Morning Edition). A report on how unconscious bias becomes dangerous in emergency medical situations where providers are much more likely to default to making decisions based on stereotypes. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/01/03/676039371/emergency-medical-responders-confront-racial-bias
