Cleveland Council Considers Declaring Racism A Public Health Crisis
Cleveland City Council is considering an ordinance that would declare racism to be a public health crisis.
Councilman Blaine Griffin says it’s the first step toward addressing how racism affects society. He says issues that bring down life expectancy – such as violence and industrial pollution – have been caused by centuries of racist policies.
“You have Jim Crow laws,” he says. “You have redlining that many of our communities have experienced. We believe that all of these activities – that were government-sponsored activities – have led to the lack of affordable housing, poor housing conditions, health disparities, educational gaps.”
The ordinance needs to be reviewed by council’s finance committee before a vote.
Cleveland City Council is considering an ordinance that would declare racism to be a public health crisis. Councilman Blaine Griffin says it’s the first step toward addressing how racism affects society. He says issues that bring down life expectancy – such as violence and industrial pollution – have been caused by centuries of racist policies. “You have Jim Crow laws,” he says. “You have redlining that many of our communities have experienced. We believe that all of these activities – that were government-sponsored activities – have led to the lack of affordable housing, poor housing conditions, health disparities, educational gaps.” The ordinance needs to be reviewed by council’s finance committee before a vote.
The effects of stereotypes and racism are felt within the school and community
An elderly, white man approached the baseball field concession stand. He stopped to stare at sophomore Drew Morgan who was busy preparing a large order of Icees. After finishing his task, Morgan greeted the man and apologized for the wait.
“You’re lucky your people are allowed to work here,” the man said.
Ignoring the comment, Morgan asked again how he could help the man.
“Back in my time, your people wouldn’t even be allowed to be in this certain section,” the man said.
Not wanting to lose his job, Morgan replied that he couldn’t help the man if that’s all he was going to say. Without another word, the man walked away.
This blatant racism was not the first time Morgan’s African American ancestry played a role in how people treat him. Adopted into a white family, the color of his skin began shaping his world before he even understood what race was.
“I remember when I was growing up … a lot of people would stop and stare at my family in public, and it was something that I didn’t understand at the time,” Morgan said. “[I thought], ‘Why are they staring at me?’ I was just staring at my parents.”
An elderly, white man approached the baseball field concession stand. He stopped to stare at sophomore Drew Morgan who was busy preparing a large order of Icees. After finishing his task, Morgan greeted the man and apologized for the wait. “You’re lucky your people are allowed to work here,” the man said. Ignoring the comment, Morgan asked again how he could help the man. “Back in my time, your people wouldn’t even be allowed to be in this certain section,” the man said. Not wanting to lose his job, Morgan replied that he couldn’t help the man if that’s all he was going to say. Without another word, the man walked away. This blatant racism was not the first time Morgan’s African American ancestry played a role in how people treat him. Adopted into a white family, the color of his skin began shaping his world before he even understood what race was. “I remember when I was growing up … a lot of people would stop and stare at my family in public, and it was something that I didn’t understand at the time,” Morgan said. “[I thought], ‘Why are they staring at me?’ I was just staring at my parents.” stereotypes stereotypes stereotypes
Why We See Racism in Others but Not Ourselves
Whenever I teach my college course on racism, I start out the first day by asking students to raise their hand if they are racist.
I bet you can guess how many actually raise their hand. That’s right: Zero.
That isn’t particularly surprising. I mean, who wants to “out” themselves as a racist in front of an entire class of fellow students? But when scientists pose the same question to students whose responses are completely anonymous, the same pattern emerges. This suggests that it isn’t just about social pressure and political correctness. Instead, it seems that people who engage in racist behaviors are simply unwilling or unable to admit their own racism, even to themselves. But why?
The fact that people fail to report their racism even when responses are anonymous got me thinking. Was it possible the reason people who engage in racist behavior don’t label themselves as racist because they essentially have a “mental blindspot” when it comes to their own behavior? What would happen if they saw someone else engage in the same offensive behavior they had? Would they see those behaviors as racist when they were committed by someone other than themselves?
See Racism See Racism
That isn’t particularly surprising. I mean, who wants to “out” themselves as a racist in front of an entire class of fellow students? But when scientists pose the same question to students whose responses are completely anonymous, the same pattern emerges. This suggests that it isn’t just about social pressure and political correctness. Instead, it seems that people who engage in racist behaviors are simply unwilling or unable to admit their own racism, even to themselves. But why? The fact that people fail to report their racism even when responses are anonymous got me thinking. Was it possible the reason people who engage in racist behavior don’t label themselves as racist because they essentially have a “mental blindspot” when it comes to their own behavior? What would happen if they saw someone else engage in the same offensive behavior they had? Would they see those behaviors as racist when they were committed by someone other than themselves?
Discrimination may cause black and Hispanic patients to wait longer for primary care appointment
Discrimination may cause black and Hispanic patients to wait longer for a scheduled primary care appointment, according to a new Tulane University study published in JAMA Network Open.
The research could shine more light on why people who belong to racial and ethnic minority groups experience worse health outcomes than white people in the United States.
Timeliness of care is really important. Delay in seeing a provider means that the patient spends more time experiencing the illness or injury. They may be anxious or in pain for longer. They may struggle for longer to go to work or take care of their family. Delay also gives the condition more time to worsen, which means that if a health system gives more timely care to one group over another, the health system itself may be contributing to health disparities.”
Janna Wisniewski, lead author, assistant professor of health policy and management at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
The research team recruited seven female callers who self-identified as non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic white or Hispanic. Each invented a pseudonym that they felt signaled their gender, racial and ethnic identities and that they felt comfortable using on the calls. The women called more than 800 primary care offices in Texas. Each time, the caller introduced herself by her pseudonym and asked to be scheduled for the next available appointment as a new patient. Callers did not proactively offer any additional information but did answer any questions the scheduler asked using a standardized script.
The research team recruited seven female callers who self-identified as non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic white or Hispanic. Each invented a pseudonym that they felt signaled their gender, racial and ethnic identities and that they felt comfortable using on the calls. The women called more than 800 primary care offices in Texas. Each time, the caller introduced herself by her pseudonym and asked to be scheduled for the next available appointment as a new patient. Callers did not proactively offer any additional information but did answer any questions the scheduler asked using a standardized script.
Exposure to Racism May Lead to Premature Aging Among African Americans
A new study led by David H. Chae, an associate professor of human sciences and the director of the Society, Health, and Racial Equity Lab at Auburn University in Alabama, finds that racism may result in premature biological aging among African Americans. The researchers found African Americans who reported being subjected to more racial discrimination over a 10-year period showed signs of faster aging at the cellular level during the same time frame.
A common underlying risk factor across many diseases of aging is the length of telomeres — the repetitive sequences of DNA at the ends of chromosomes that protect the cell. Short telomeres increase people’s risks of developing diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and dementia. Because telomeres get progressively shorter as people get older, they are considered to be an indicator of cell aging.
Researchers looked at data from a large group of African Americans in Birmingham, Alabama, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Oakland, California. Baseline data was collected in 2000 when participants were on average 40 years old and follow-up data was examined in 2010. Participants were asked about their experiences with racial discrimination in both 2000 and 2019.
A new study led by David H. Chae, an associate professor of human sciences and the director of the Society, Health, and Racial Equity Lab at Auburn University in Alabama, finds that racism may result in premature biological aging among African Americans. The researchers found African Americans who reported being subjected to more racial discrimination over a 10-year period showed signs of faster aging at the cellular level during the same time frame. A common underlying risk factor across many diseases of aging is the length of telomeres — the repetitive sequences of DNA at the ends of chromosomes that protect the cell. Short telomeres increase people’s risks of developing diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and dementia. Because telomeres get progressively shorter as people get older, they are considered to be an indicator of cell aging. Researchers looked at data from a large group of African Americans in Birmingham, Alabama, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Oakland, California. Baseline data was collected in 2000 when participants were on average 40 years old and follow-up data was examined in 2010. Participants were asked about their experiences with racial discrimination in both 2000 and 2019.
Why I will never forget the day I was racially abused in front of my young son
It was October 26 last year when out of nowhere came a racial attack I will never forget.
My six-year-old son Archie, who has autism, and I were at his favourite public swimming pool — his safe place, his happy place.
Charlestown pool is a place where he can shriek and giggle like nobody is watching and splash around before smiling with his whole body.
But all was not well at his safe and happy place on this Saturday afternoon.
As Archie and I dipped our toes into the smaller of two pools, two boys pointed in our direction and whispered.
“I thought this whole pool was for upper-class people only,” one of the boys said.
They were barely teenagers and appeared to be brothers.
It was October 26 last year when out of nowhere came a racial attack I will never forget. My six-year-old son Archie, who has autism, and I were at his favourite public swimming pool — his safe place, his happy place. Charlestown pool is a place where he can shriek and giggle like nobody is watching and splash around before smiling with his whole body. But all was not well at his safe and happy place on this Saturday afternoon. As Archie and I dipped our toes into the smaller of two pools, two boys pointed in our direction and whispered. “I thought this whole pool was for upper-class people only,” one of the boys said. They were barely teenagers and appeared to be brothers. racially abused racially abused racially abused racially abused racially abused racially abused racially abused
Racism is a daily reality for Black teens and linked to depression
“It can happen when you least expect it. I was playing an online game and I guess my voice gave me away. The next thing I knew my opponent called me the ‘N-word.’ It surprised me. That wasn’t the first time. Your voice gives you away,” 17-year-old Lyndell Coles told The Final Call.
“I also experience racism when White people talk about Black people around me. I’m very light skinned so they don’t always know I’m Black and I often hear them say rude things to Black people they don’t say to White people. I just have to listen and be quiet. It makes me sad but there’s nothing I can do about it,” he lamented.
Black teenagers experience daily racial discrimination, most frequently online, which can lead to negative mental health effects, according to a new study.
Researches surveyed 101 Black youth between the ages of 13 and 17 from predominantly Black neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., every day for two weeks about their experiences with racial discrimination and measured changes in their depressive symptoms during that period. Eighty-eight percent of participants identified as African American or Black, one percent identified as African, one percent identified as Afro-Latino, two percent identified as biracial/multiracial, and eight percent identified as “other,” noted the study.
Black teens – Black teens – Black teens – Black teens
Environmental Racism Is Killing Black Communities In Louisiana
In 1959, the Dow Chemical Company moved into Plaquemine, Louisiana, and began making vinyl chloride, a colorless cancer-causing gas used to produce a variety of plastic products. Twenty years later, after years of chemical-related poisoning, vinyl chloride was found in the wells of nearby Morrisonville.
The predominantly Black River Parishes along the 85-mile stretch of the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge are overrun with over 150 plants and refineries. This area was once dubbed Cancer Alley by residents and media because of the clusters of cancer patients in the area. Now residents are calling it Death Alley because of the significant amount of deaths by cancer and other illnesses among the residents who live near the industrial pollution.
“You put poison in the land, water and in the air, the result is sickness and death. The planned killing of any group is genocide,” Pat Bryant, the son of sharecroppers and a resident of New Orleans, said frankly. Bryant started Justice and Beyond in 2012 as a response to social and environmental injustice along the Louisiana parishes.
In 1959, the Dow Chemical Company moved into Plaquemine, Louisiana, and began making vinyl chloride, a colorless cancer-causing gas used to produce a variety of plastic products. Twenty years later, after years of chemical-related poisoning, vinyl chloride was found in the wells of nearby Morrisonville. The predominantly Black River Parishes along the 85-mile stretch of the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge are overrun with over 150 plants and refineries. This area was once dubbed Cancer Alley by residents and media because of the clusters of cancer patients in the area. Now residents are calling it Death Alley because of the significant amount of deaths by cancer and other illnesses among the residents who live near the industrial pollution. “You put poison in the land, water and in the air, the result is sickness and death. The planned killing of any group is genocide,” Pat Bryant, the son of sharecroppers and a resident of New Orleans, said frankly. Bryant started Justice and Beyond in 2012 as a response to social and environmental injustice along the Louisiana parishes. Killing Black Communities Killing Black Communities Killing Black Communities v Killing Black Communities Killing
Black teens who experience daily racial discrimination show depressive symptoms, study finds
Black teens experience several forms of racial discrimination every day, which leads to increased short-term depressive symptoms, according to a study by researchers at Rutgers University.
The study, which was published this month in the Journal of Applied Development Psychology, surveyed 101 black teens between ages 13 and 17 in neighborhoods in southeast and northeast Washington, D.C. The teens completed daily surveys on racial discrimination and their mental health over a period of 15 days.
Black teens experience several forms of racial discrimination every day, which leads to increased short-term depressive symptoms, according to a study by researchers at Rutgers University. The study, which was published this month in the Journal of Applied Development Psychology, surveyed 101 black teens between ages 13 and 17 in neighborhoods in southeast and northeast Washington, D.C. The teens completed daily surveys on racial discrimination and their mental health over a period of 15 days. Black teens experience several forms of racial discrimination every day, which leads to increased short-term depressive symptoms, according to a study by researchers at Rutgers University. The study, which was published this month in the Journal of Applied Development Psychology, surveyed 101 black teens between ages 13 and 17 in neighborhoods in southeast and northeast Washington, D.C. The teens completed daily surveys on racial discrimination and their mental health over a period of 15 days. The study, which was published this month in the Journal of Applied Development Psychology, surveyed 101 black teens between ages 13 and 17 in neighborhoods in southeast and northeast Washington, D.C. The teens completed daily surveys on racial discrimination and their mental health over a period of 15 days. The study, which was published this month in the Journal of Applied Development Psychology, surveyed 101 black teens between ages 13 and 17 in neighborhoods in southeast and northeast Washington, D.C. The teens completed daily surveys on racial discrimination and their mental health over a period of 15 days.
Racism plays role in health of American youth
Racism plays a major role in the health and well-being of youth in America, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
In a recent policy statement, the AAP declared that racism “has a profound impact on the health status of children, adolescents, emerging adults, and their families.”
The health organization is the first of its kind to explicitly recognize racism as a social determinant of health, something the executive director of the National Coalition for Health Equity, Dr. Gail Christopher, called “groundbreaking.”
“The public health community has been up front about naming racism as a factor in health for a long time, but this is the first public statement from a medical entity that calls for specific policy actions and presents a comprehensive and evidence-based position,” she said. “I see it as revolutionary, and hope to see a cascade effect where other clinicians really say, ‘racism is a problem.’”
Racism plays a major role in the health and well-being of youth in America, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). In a recent policy statement, the AAP declared that racism “has a profound impact on the health status of children, adolescents, emerging adults, and their families.” The health organization is the first of its kind to explicitly recognize racism as a social determinant of health, something the executive director of the National Coalition for Health Equity, Dr. Gail Christopher, called “groundbreaking.” “The public health community has been up front about naming racism as a factor in health for a long time, but this is the first public statement from a medical entity that calls for specific policy actions and presents a comprehensive and evidence-based position,” she said. “I see it as revolutionary, and hope to see a cascade effect where other clinicians really say, ‘racism is a problem.’”
