Three-time Olympic champion Tori Bowie’s death from childbirth complications underscores the alarming reality that Black women are more likely to face the worst pregnancy-related outcomes in the U.S., regardless of socioeconomic status. Bowie was found dead in her home in Winter Garden, Florida, in May. She was estimated to be eight months pregnant and in […]
Health
Posted inHealth, Health Equity
Racism’s Relentless Toll on Black Health in America
This story was produced in partnership with Vox as part of the discrimination issue of The Highlight. OAKLAND, Calif. — On most warm days, Stephanie McWoods catches the California breeze with the bubble wand she keeps on her patio. Sometimes, the bubbles float, then burst midair. Other times, when they don’t pop, it is unclear how many miles […]
Posted inHealth, Mental Health
How Mental Illness Among Black Americans Goes Misdiagnosed
First, came the depression diagnosis. Then, a catatonia diagnosis. PTSD and anxiety labels were thrown in the mix, too. In college, 12 people Natasha Pierre knew had died within six months, and all she could do was talk to the campus priests about how she was feeling. The trauma piled on, and being in New […]
Posted inHealth, Mental Health
The Criminalization of Black Men’s Mental Health
Jordan Neely wasn’t committing a crime. He was in need of help. In the week since he died after a lethal choke hold inside a New York City subway car, his family has called the statement from the ex-Marine who killed him “a character assassination.” He didn’t know anything about Neely’s mental health history before […]
Posted inHealth, Reproductive Health
Amid Abortion Bans, Black Americans’ Support Remains
As abortion restrictions intensify across the U.S., Americans are more likely to say it should be easier to obtain an abortion than they were in 2019, a recent Pew Research Center survey reveals. And Black Americans are among the most likely to say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Since the U.S. […]
Posted inHealth, Reproductive Health
What is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, and Why Does It Go Underdiagnosed in Black Women?
My body stiffened at the news I received from my OB-GYN. I had been anxiously waiting for the results from a uterine ultrasound, a test that I desperately hoped would get to the root of my immensely painful and irregular periods. I had suffered in silence for years, then spent at least one more traveling […]
Posted inHealth, Reproductive Health
How Florida Restricting Abortion Access Affects Black People in the South
Florida’s law prohibiting most abortions statewide after six weeks has ignited fear among those who say the ban could have catastrophic — and potentially life-threatening — impacts on Black women’s health. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned 1973’s Roe v. Wade decision last summer, access to abortion in the South has become increasingly limited. It’s […]
Posted inHealth, Reproductive Health
What’s Missing From the ‘Abortion Pill’ Conversation
Two conflicting rulings on the legality of a drug often used to end pregnancies or manage miscarriages have many wondering how this could impact reproductive health care access for Black families in the months to come. Last Friday, a federal judge in Texas ruled that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s long-standing approval of the […]
Posted inHealth, Health Equity
What the COVID-19 Pandemic and Mpox Outbreak Taught Us About Reducing Health Disparities
Public health officials in Boston kicked off last fall’s back-to-school season with a free COVID-19 vaccination clinic aimed at combating the large racial disparities in vaccinations among young children. Local news reported that hundreds of Bostonians turned out to the event, creating a line “further than the eye could see” through the city’s Franklin Park. […]
Posted inHealth, Maternal Health
Medical Racism’s Role in the Recent Spike in Maternal Mortality
The coronavirus exacerbated the effects of medical racism already baked into the United States health care system, leading to a spike in Black maternal mortality rates between 2020 and 2021, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals. The recent statistics, though bleak, come as no surprise to maternal health experts, who […]