“Racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care remain a persistent challenge in the United States.
The COVID-19 pandemic’s uneven impact for people of color drew increased attention to in- equities in health and health care–but they have been documented for decades and reflect long- standing structural and systemic inequities rooted in racism and discrimination. While inequities in access to and use of health care contribute to disparities in health, inequities across broader social and economic factors that drive health, often referred to as social determinants of health, also play a major role.”
Key Data on Health and Health Care by Race and Ethnicity Latoya Hill, Nambi Ndugga and Samantha Artiga https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health- policy/report/key-data-on-health-and-health-care-by- race-and-ethnicity/#SocialDeterminants
When we look at our communities, we see we are the least healthy ethnic group in the nation. We lead in all the negative health categories compared to other ethnic and racial communities. “Indeed, African Americans are more likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes and general poor health than a typical person in the United States, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They are more likely to be obese, which is a risk factor for such conditions as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. African Americans also are more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Though the statistics reveal a community in crisis, everyone can take steps to minimize the risks.” African Americans More Likely to Have High Blood Pressure, Diabetes CDC Says – Tamera E. Holmes AARP https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info- 2020/health-risks-african-americans.html
The poor health and the health disparities we experience are driven by external socio-economic and political forces beyond our control, racism, and the color caste oppression that still exists despite the law, and some cosmetic social changes still impact us. These conditions are the consequences of an evil mind at work. These policies have taken a horrific toll on our psyches, our bodies, our social relationships, and the fabric of our communities.“For more than 250 years, enslaved African Americans suffered physical, social, and mental brutalization. The end of slavery did not mean that African Americans could suddenly lead healthful lives. On the contrary, they have been subjected to systematic discrimination and oppression for the 150 years since slavery was abolished, and it continues nowadays. Healthwise, this history may be viewed as resulting in two outcomes. With so much suffering and early death, those who survived this subjection may be the strongest and most resilient members of this group. However, the history of slavery and the current racial discrimination this group continues to suffer clearly underlie the inexcusably poor health status of African Americans as a whole.” Improving the health of African Americans in the USA an overdue opportunity for social justice. Hector Eduardo Velasco-Mondragon and Fernando A. Wagner Allan S. Noonan https://publichealthreviews.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40985-016-0025-4
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