The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
Over the past two decades, Black Americans have continued to suffer a higher mortality rate when compared to whites. Some suggest these health disparities stem from genetics and personal choices. But, as this series shows, behind many of the most pressing problems are federal, state and local government policies that have protected the interests of business and the powerful over the well-being of Black residents.
The United States has made almost no progress in closing racial health disparities despite promises, research shows. The government, some critics argue, is often the underlying culprit.
For years, federal lawmakers have failed to deliver the money needed to fix derelict public housing, leaving tenants — mostly people of color and families with low incomes — living with mold and gun violence that has had lasting health consequences.
Administrators at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine are trying to recruit more Black students — and more Hispanic and Choctaw Nation students, for that matter. But they face several obstacles, including a recent swell of Republican opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins:
In California, Black women are at least three times as likely as white women to die from pregnancy-related causes. Santa Clara County initiatives aimed at reducing racial disparities work but depend on federal dollars — money that might not flow amid budget cuts and a push to end diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
John Parker was in first grade when he was struck by a pickup truck driving on Durham’s Cheek Road, which lacks sidewalks to this day. Neighborhoods with no sidewalks, damaged walkways, and roads with high speed limits are concentrated in Black neighborhoods, research finds.
Taborian Hospital in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, was established to exclusively admit Black patients during a time when Jim Crow laws barred them from accessing the same health care facilities as white patients. Its closure underscores how hundreds of Black hospitals in the U.S. fell casualty to social progress.
Colorism — a form of prejudice and discrimination in which lighter skin is favored over darker skin — has been associated with mental health conditions such as depression, low self-esteem, and anxiety. But skin tone often goes unaddressed with therapists and clinical specialists.
Researchers in Charleston, South Carolina, are trying to build a DNA database of 100,000 people to better understand how genetics affects health risks. But they’re struggling to recruit enough Black participants.
A multimedia reporting project that explores the impact of a 1942 lynching and a 2020 police shooting in the same rural Missouri community — two Black men killed by a public health threat of their time.
Fred Clasen-Kelly
Daniel Chang
Angela Hart
Renuka Rayasam
Lauren Sausser
Andy Miller
Arthur Allen
Lydia Zuraw
Lynne Shallcross
Oona Tempest
Sabriya Rice
Judy Lin
Alex Wayne
Kelly Johnson
Terry Byrne
Gabe Brison-Trezise
Hannah Norman