PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (April 20, 2020) – “There is a saying-When America catches a cold, Black people get the flu. Well, in 2020, when America catches the coronavirus, Black people die.”—Dr. Rashawn Ray
Health disparities refer to the higher burden of illness, injury, disability, or mortality experienced by one group relative to others. In the United States, racial differences in health and illness begin at birth, with Black infants being more likely than white infants to die before their first birthday. Many more racial disparities in health can emerge across the life span. Heart disease, hypertension, and various forms of cancer are most prevalent among African Americans. It is also important to note that many racial health disparities do not disappear with an increase in education or income levels. Middle-class black women, for example, still experience high rates of birth complications and are at risk of having low weight babies.
Fellow sociologist and Brookings Institute Fellow, Dr. Rashawn Ray’s quote captures the impact of racial health disparities during the recent coronavirus health crisis. In nearly every state reporting race-based data, African Americans have higher contraction and death rates of COVID-19. The disproportionate rates of infection and deaths among African Americans are a result of longstanding structural inequalities. This point seems to be missing from recent discussions around COVID. The United States Surgeon General Jerome Adams recently asked communities of color to help reduce the spread of coronavirus by avoiding tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and practicing social distancing. To be clear, reducing health disparities has never been about making better personal choices (e.g., diet, failure to social distance, drinking, and smoking). Personal choices matter, but structural barriers often confine our choices.
Louisiana, Illinois, and Michigan were among the first states to report the disproportionate number of African American COVID-19-related deaths. In all three states, African Americans are plagued by poverty, environmental racism, a lack of health care access, and residential segregation. Our neighboring state of Louisiana consistently ranks at the bottom of almost every socio-economic indicator of wellbeing. African Americans in Louisiana are more likely to live in poverty and thus have less health insurance coverage. A lack of adequate health insurance coupled with chronic ailments such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease is a recipe for disaster in normal circumstances. Physicians warn that underlying conditions such as lung and heart disease and diabetes increase COVID-19’s patients’ chances of hospitalization and death.
The black-white segregation index in Chicago, Illinois and Detroit, Michigan are consistently high. Hyper-segregated communities in American cities, including Chicago and Detroit, are the result of racist federal housing programs and policies, discriminatory lending practices, and racist practices promoted and used by the real estate industry. Residential segregation forces many African Americans to live in neighborhoods characterized by concentrated poverty, high unemployment rates, and a lack of resources. Segregated communities are also more likely to be exposed to pollutants and toxins, resulting in higher risks and prevalence of cancers, asthma, and other health-related issues. Louisiana’s cancer alley and Flint, Michigan’s contaminated water supply are just two examples that come to mind.
Farrah Gafford Cambrice, Ph. D.
The recent news that the growth rate of the virus appears to be coming under control is a reason to rejoice. However, we should remain cautiously optimistic. Disasters (natural and health-related) not only unveil existing inequalities in our society, but they also set the stage for subsequent social disasters. Such social disasters were recognizable in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The socio-economic suffering for Black New Orleanians lasted long after the floodwaters receded. African Americans faced substantial barriers returning to their neighborhoods and endured long-term financial and educational hardships. Post-Katrina government programs were also discriminatory and resulted in less financial assistance for African American homeowners. Similarly, a post-COVID-19 recovery will likely mean more housing insecurity and increasing disparities in education and wealth for African Americans. Thus, it will be imperative to create policies that will not disadvantage racial minorities.
Farrah Gafford Cambrice, Ph. D., is an assistant professor of sociology in Prairie View A&M University’s Division of Social Work, Social and Political Sciences.