As the massive garage door lifted to reveal the inside of the small warehouse where Minou Jones’ mother worked, the bulk packs of menthol cigarettes began to glisten. Here, where the gold containers were stacked sky-high in downtown Detroit, was the heart of Big Tobacco’s money making operation. They’d market menthols, which were scientifically concocted […]
Margo Snipe
Margo Snipe was a health reporter at Capital B. Twitter @margoasnipe
Posted inHealth, Health Equity
STI Rates Are Rising. What Should You Know?
Recent upticks in the rates of sexually transmitted infections continue to expose deep racial disparities in the American maternal health care system, from syphilis and HIV to gonorrhea. It’s been well-documented that Black Americans are disproportionately affected by STIs. This is due in large part to systemic barriers to quality health care, such as having […]
Posted inHealth
How Gun Violence Is Frustrating Public Health Advocates
Gun-related emergency room visits and deaths among Black children soared during the pandemic — and experts and activists say that while the recent data isn’t necessarily surprising, it’s frustrating. There are potential solutions, but they say elected officials and institutions aren’t putting enough resources into preventative measures. “We had communities that were already on fire, […]
Posted inHealth
A Game-Changing Cure for Sickle Cell May Be Coming
Black physicians are excited about a groundbreaking gene-editing treatment for sickle cell disease that a federal advisory panel deemed safe enough for clinical use this week — but they also worry about access. “It offers a lot of potential,” Dr. Oyebimpe Adesina, a hematologist at the University of California Davis, told Capital B Tuesday. “But […]
Posted inCulture, History
The Sacred Ground Where Black Americans Search for Their Roots
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Exactly where the bodies lie underneath Jacqueline Hayes’ feet on the acre of land at 2698 South Drive is somewhat of a riddle waiting to be solved. Most of the graves are unmarked, and although published obituaries name some of those buried at the site, it’s impossible to know precisely where. Still, Hayes […]
Posted inHealth, Mental Health
What’s Driving Black Kids to the ER?
This story contains discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Black children and adolescents have the highest rate of mental health-related emergency department visits, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released this week. It’s an […]
Posted inHealth, Health Equity
What a Proposed Ban on Some Chemicals in Hair Straighteners Means for Black Women
As research stacks up pointing to the long-term health risks of chemical hair relaxers, aka “creamy crack,” many Black women have long ditched the lye and are sticking with their natural hair textures. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent proposed ban on cancer-causing formaldehyde, a key ingredient in some products, has been called a […]
Posted inHealth, Mental Health
The Racism Black Kids Endure Is Spiraling Into a Health Crisis
Ignored complaints of students using racist slurs, Black children getting in trouble for reporting instances of discrimination, and white students mockingly reenacting the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers are all outlined in a lawsuit that hit a Georgia school district earlier this year. The case is just the tip of the iceberg when it […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Gun Violence
A Search for Answers in Morgan State Shooting’s Aftermath
BALTIMORE, MD. — Less than 24 hours after videos showed SWAT officers raiding dorm rooms following a shooting during homecoming week, Morgan State University’s campus was eerily quiet. By then, classes had been canceled, with no arrests made. And, at the scene where the triggers were pulled, any evidence of the previous night’s violence had vanished. […]
Posted inCOVID-19, Health
The New COVID-19 Vaccine Is Rolling Out. Here’s What Black Americans Should Know.
Amid the recent uptick in COVID hospitalizations, a new round of vaccines is being introduced. The shots could be particularly important for Black Americans, who have continued to show an increased risk for severe complications from the virus. Although much smaller than past spikes, COVID deaths have risen above 1,000 per week this month and […]