This story published in collaboration with Vox, part of a series on reparations. In 1972, two social workers set Debra Blackmon’s sterilization in motion. The primary diagnosis in her medical records read: mental retardation severe. Soon, Blackmon would undergo a total abdominal hysterectomy, a procedure, sanctioned by the local government, to remove her uterus and […]
Health Equity
Posted inHealth, Health Equity
Are New Medical Treatments Safe and Effective for Black Americans?
As the triple threat of COVID-19, RSV, and influenza surges this winter, and new treatments and vaccinations are being developed and administered across the country, attention around the importance of clinical trial participation has resurfaced. Who are these treatments safe and effective for? Black participation in clinical research historically has been and remains lower than […]
Posted inHealth, Health Equity, Partner Content
Racial Disparities in Lung Cancer Start With Research
During a routine visit to the Good Samaritan Clinic in Morganton, North Carolina, in 2018, Herbert Buff casually mentioned that he sometimes had trouble breathing. He was 55 years old and a decades-long smoker. So the doctor recommended that Buff schedule time on a 35-foot-long bus operated by the Levine Cancer Institute that would roll […]
Posted inHealth, Health Equity
Clinicians Dismiss Black Women’s Pain. The Consequences Are Dire.
This story contains discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The bottle of vodka sat unopened. It was the largest one Cheryl McJoy could find. If she drank it, she thought, maybe the stabbing sensations in her body would stop. “I […]
Posted inHealth, Health Equity
Black Americans Are Disproportionately Affected By Monkeypox. U.S. Officials Failed To Mention It.
The Biden administration declared monkeypox a public health emergency on Thursday, but during the 40-minute media call for that announcement, federal officials never mentioned the virus’s disproportionate impact on Black Americans. It’s an absence that harks back to the first weeks of the coronavirus when, in the spring of 2020, Black people were dying at […]
Posted inHealth, Health Equity
America’s Opioid Epidemic Is Devastating Black Communities
The first victims of the country’s opioid epidemic were predominantly white, living in rural communities devastated by prescription painkiller addiction. With doctors less likely to prescribe adequate pain medication to Black patients, racism protected Black Americans from the first wave of opioid deaths. Now, the face of the epidemic has changed. New federal data points […]
Posted inHealth, Health Equity
What the National Shortage of Baby Formula Means for Black Families
As worried parents across the country scramble to secure formula for their babies amid a nationwide shortage, Black parents, who are less likely to breastfeed, might be bearing the weight of the panic disproportionately. In recent weeks, stores across the country have been scrambling to keep up with demand for baby formula, pushing some retailers […]
Posted inHealth, Health Equity
What Happens After Your Town Declares Racism a Public Health Crisis?
When Milwaukee County became the first jurisdiction to declare racism a public health crisis in 2019, it had among the worst health outcomes in Wisconsin. It was also one of the most segregated areas of the country, with a high Black mortality rate. The county’s Office on African American Affairs and Wisconsin’s Public Health Association […]
Posted inHealth, Health Equity
Menthol Cigarette Ban Receives Pushback from Some Racial Justice Advocates
This story has been updated. The Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday rules for a proposed nationwide ban on the sale of menthol cigarettes, a move that has significant implications for Black communities, which disproportionately smoke menthol products. Public health experts lauded the FDA’s announcement, saying it will significantly reduce tobacco-related health diseases and death. […]
Posted inHealth, Health Equity
New Study Highlights How Complex Trust in Science and Medicine Is For Black Americans
A majority of Black adults have had at least one negative experience with a health care provider, according to a new report. But young Black women are particularly likely to report a harmful interaction during routine health care. More than 70% of Black women ages 18 to 49 said they’ve experienced at least one negative […]