What's Killing Black People?
A study released this week by the Harvard School of Public Health provides shocking data on life and death in America.
Apparently, an African-American male living in a major U.S. city is likely to die almost 21 years sooner than an Asian-American woman living in New Jersey. (See Gwen Ifill’s interview on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer).
And its not (only) for the reasons you think.
WMDs?
When asked what is the leading cause of death or injury for African-American male children and men many folks would immediately say (or think) “gun violence”. And those more well-known statistics are still shocking:
The firearm death rate for Black males ages 15 to 19 is more than four times that of White males the same age. More Black children and teens have been killed by firearms over the past six years than all the Black people of all ages we lost in the history of lynchings. (From a 2006 Children’s Defense Fund report)
Although the death rate from gun violence is lower for them, Black women and girls in urban communities are no strangers to violence either.
“Gun culture” is not a “Black thing”, although it is certainly an “American thing”. Unfortunately, as recent events in Montreal demonstrate, it is also the deal in too many places in the world (the portrayal of seemingly non-violent Canadian life in “Bowling for Columbine” notwithstanding).The impact of violence is heightened by the easy availability of handguns (among the “small arms” which Secretary-General Kofi Annan called “weapons of mass destruction, in slow-motion”. The UN figured out that small arms even kill more people each year than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. But, as usual, I digress.
“Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired”?
According to the new study, there are other insidious attacks on Black communities—chronic diseases: high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke. Add to those the well-known impact of HIV/AIDS, the numbers waiting for organ donations (often as a result of the other diseases), stress, and clinical depression.
We’ve been hearing for years about racial and ethnic disparities in health status, access to care, and quality of care. (See, e.g., Centers for Disease Control, “Health Disparities Experienced by Black or African Americans—United States” (Jan. 2005). Grassroots organizers like the Black Women’s Health Imperative and their community partners (formerly the National Black Women’s’ Health Project), NGOs like Physicians for Human Rights (see its webpage on “Racial Disparities in Health Care”) and legal resources such as “Race, Health Care and the Law” (a website run by Professor Vernellia Randall) organize around racial disparities and the right to health.
But most of us do not yet think of these slower destroyers of our communities as crises.Black Public Health as Politics?
According to the press release, the study “concludes that disparities seem to be caused by a number of risk factors such as chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer and … injuries with well-established risk factors like alcohol-related traffic accidents. Income, infant mortality, violence, HIV/AIDS, and lack of health insurance only explained a small percentage of the differences.”
The comparisons were made along racial and regional lines. (Apparently, Asian-American women living in Bergen County, New Jersey are at the high end of 91 years, while Native Americans living in South Dakota are at the low end (at 58 years).
The researchers expressed hope that public health measures such as those against high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking (and described as “cheap and effective”) could then be further tailored for toward the groups most at risk.
What does this mean for those trying to support Black folks’ own efforts to keep surviving and thriving through law and other means? Do the study’s findings ring true? If so, will it be supportive of Black community-based organizing on public health and well-being? Will it
add fodder to the “straighten up and fly right on your own” chorus?
Do they mean, instead, that race and ethnicity and class-conscious public health work in our communities are an essential part of the overall social justice struggle?
Comments
In an earlier post, many commenters rejected the idea of female beauty as it is portrayed in popular media, i.e. thin, blonde, and white. I have some black female friends who agree. They’re unabashed by their healthy figures and eat in a way that would make some of my white female friends, well, blanch. I know there are a lot of black women who are vegetarians, and there are a lot of white women who overeat. I just wonder whether thinness is predominantly a white virtue, and if so, does it account for white women living longer?
Posted by: Anon | September 15, 2006 06:17 PM
“What's Killing Black People?”
My answer is this: four things are killing us. The appalling black health crisis is best analyzed, understood and diagnosed (& hence best treated) by putting its myriad causes & contributory factors into four categories. The first thing killing us is simply being human. Not only are we mortal but also like all other humans we do stupid things that shorten the time allotted by our maker. Blacks must not ignore this category. However, for now, we must devote the bulk of our concern & resources to the remaining 3 categories.
Second category of things killing us is excessive bad behaviour—greater paternal irresponsibility; more gun violence, more drinking, more smoking, less exercise, less healthy eating, more drug abuse, etc—in contrast to other comparable human groups. However, the crucial thing to understand here is this: These excessive destructive behaviours are mostly the poisoned & ill-advised adaptations we developed in reaction to racism, oppression and exploitation. Yes, I am arguing that the second thing killing blacks is the untreated &enduring after-effects of past racism.
The third is current racism: Police killing & abusing blacks at a greater rate & with greater glee; drug policies that result in black neighbourhoods becoming bustling & violent markets; worse quality education in black neighbourhoods; more joblessness. Need I say more?
The fourth category makes clear that we (as typified by both producers & consumers of Blackprof.com’s output) have a lot to answer for. My awkward term for this last reason is “elitist identity politics.” By this I mean that well-to-do blacks like us have been too ready to embrace & elevate other identities over and above our blackness. As a result, we have failed in our duty to be the defenders & keepers of our poorer sisters & brothers. Being ashamed of our blackness and afraid of other victims of racism, we have kept our distance and failed to sufficiently defend poor blacks & the entire black community. The “straighten up & fly right on your own” crowd is simply the most selfish & worst offender in this but hardly the only one. Being a glutton for controversy & punishment, I will end by speaking a blunt, inconvenient truth here & specify two identities that are hurting blacks because we the elites elevate those two identities over & above our blackness—class and gender. Put another way, I am saying that the fourth major reason that blacks have an excessive health crisis is because rich, well-educated blacks often think they have more in common with rich nonblacks than with poor and poorly-educated blacks, and because some black women sometimes seem to believe they have more in common with nonblack women than with black men. I recognize that each human is imbued with many identities and must constantly juggle which particular one to deify in a given situation. My position is less that we elite blacks are making the wrong identity choices, but more that we have a duty to recognize the impact and implications of whatever identity choices that we do make.
Posted by: EliteBlackMale12 | September 16, 2006 01:50 PM
I would like to THANK Hope Lewis for this informative article. Life is precious and we take it for granted. It is imperative to have a close relationship/understanding with GOD. I went to the wake for a 5 year old little girl the other night who passed away from asthma,15 minutes later I stopped by my church and walked in to another wake for a gentleman that appeared to be 40.
Life is not guaranteed to us. We have to make the best choices for ourselves and everyone close to us momentarily and daily. There is MERIT in the two previous posts. I'm thankful that I had an opportunity to read these posts.
We need to get up in the morning with a RENEWED perception of life. We need to Thank GOD for allowing us to see another day, Make a declaration (OUT LOUD) that THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER and proceed to name at least 10 things for which we are THANKFUL. We have to make time to EXCERCISE and take care of ourselves. Because if you don't you will have to use your WEALTH to REPAIR your HEALTH. Make sure you let the people that are close to you know that you love them and appreciate them, because TOMORROW is not promised to us (just a thought)!!
And know that, We are truly BLESSED no matter what the STATISTICS say.!!!!!!
Posted by: Thinking Woman | September 16, 2006 03:18 PM
I have not gone through the reports.
Does the disparity persist if the comparison is with white people from the South? The point has already been made by others, about the Southen nature of black culture.
As to female superiority of survival, it is true across all ages, including 30% fewer miscarriages of female fetuses. Having a male child also makes it more likely future fetuses will be miscarried. Males are, like, annoying.
Posted by: Supremacy Claus | September 16, 2006 03:46 PM
A person's health is pretty strongly correlated with behavior. People don't go to sleep thin and fit after having eaten brown rice, steamed vegetables and fish and wake up 483 pounds heavier and barely able to walk.
What does this mean for those trying to support Black folks’ own efforts to keep surviving and thriving through law and other means?
Has a poll been taken to discover the level of awareness in the general population of healthy habits? Do the majority of people know that diet and exercise directly affect your health?
If the answer is no, then we need to step up education efforts.
If the answer is yes, then you'd have to find a way to legislate will power. You could either make people feel the consequences of their own actions by refusing aid to those engaged in risky behaviors or you could drive purveyors of unhealthy things out of business.
Posted by: K T Cat | September 17, 2006 10:19 AM
I take EliteBlackMale 12's comments to mean that upper income blacks should hang out in the hood, smoking Newports and sippin' Colt 45 with the brothas, in order to be "real" blacks. Likewise, associating with whites and Asians in business and social settings is selling out.
What a bunch of bunk.
"Defenders and keepers of our poorer brothers and sisters"? Blacks are not cattle destined to be poor and destitute. It comes down to life choices, and unfortunately, young blacks have horrible role models. If black "elites" have any responsibility, it should be by leading by example. This includes raising their children to be responsible adults. They should also do what they can to empower the young to stay in school; maybe supporting minority scholarships, or helping to organize educational seminars in the poorest schools, where successful blacks can motivate the youngsters to succeed. But to call them selfish? Please. Applying blame to successful blacks who move out of crime-ridden black neighboorhoods, or work in predominantly non-black white collar jobs is not only insulting, but ignorant.
It's the 21st century now....it's time for all members of our race to pick up the ball and start moving forward. EBM12 espouses the old, tired mantra that has kept blacks behind for the past 40 years.
Posted by: Godfrey | September 20, 2006 04:48 PM
I think we tend as Negroes to feed, maintain and promote the problem by calling European Americans white when all too clearly they really are pink!
Personally, I always call them or refer to them as Europeans when it's clear they're Americans.
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Posted by: karel | October 17, 2006 05:51 AM