Boston University School of Public Health

Racial Inequality

SPH This Week \| Special Edition

As part of the nationwide 400 Years of Inequality observance, we are dedicating this special issue to the ways that centuries of structural racism continue to shape the health of populations.

October 13, 2019

Dean's Note

Race, History, and the Science of Health Inequities

To end racial health gaps, we must address the past that informs them.

Message from the Dean

Fall Updates

Upcoming Signature Program

400 Years of Inequality: Breaking the Cycle of Systemic Racism

Oct 18

8:30 a.m.
to 2:30 p.m.

Hiebert Lounge, 72 East Concord Street, Boston

Q&As: 400 YEARS OF INEQUALITY SYMPOSIUM KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

‘The Work of Democracy Is Life-Changing and Life-Risking’

Cornell William Brooks, professor at Harvard Kennedy School, minister, and former president of the NAACP, on the power of protest and the next generation of leaders.

‘Public Policy Can Redress Systemic Challenges’

Neera Tanden, CEO and president of the Center for American Progress, on achieving racial equity in health care and education, and creating policies in a post-truth society.

Activist Lab

400 Years of Inequality: An Interactive Timeline

The Activist Lab invites the SPH community to add to the timeline in the Talbot Lobby throughout the month of October.

School News

A Case for Equity: SPH Drops GRE Admission Requirement

The GRE is costly, biased, and a poor predictor of academic success.

Public Health Post

Race, Place, and Health

While the practice of redlining is now illegal, the consequences of residential segregation are still felt today.

Racial Inequality News, Research, Interviews, and Viewpoints

video

In Focus: Racial Inequality

To create the conditions that allow all people to be healthy, we must confront the root causes of health disparities. We have devoted many Signature Programs to grappling with racial inequality over the years; three of these conversations are included here.

Published on 3/28/2019

Racial Disparities in Oral Health Linked to Pancreatic Cancer Risk

For African American women, having adult tooth loss and/or periodontal disease may double risk of pancreatic cancer.

Published on 1/31/2019

‘We Need to Rethink What Belongs in Public Space’

Raul Fernandez, associate dean for equity, diversity & inclusion at Wheelock College, on controversial statues in public spaces.

Published on 12/7/2018

‘Lumping Diverse People into One Group Is a Disadvantage’

Maria Rosario Araneta, professor of epidemiology at University of California San Diego, on Asian American health disparities.

Published on 7/9/2019

Police Shootings Reflect Cities’ Levels of Segregation

A city’s level of racial residential segregation is the biggest predictor of how much more likely police are to fatally shoot black individuals than white ones—regardless of the racial makeup of a city’s police force or other variables.

Published on 12/4/2018

Black American Life Expectancy Decreasing Disproportionately Due to Firearms

African Americans have lost twice as many years of life expectancy from gun violence as their white counterparts.

Published on 11/28/2018

Religious, Spiritual Coping May Reduce Black Women’s Hypertension Risk

Black women who reported using religion/spirituality to cope with stress had a 13-percent reduction in hypertension risk, though prayer was associated with higher hypertension risk.

Published on 10/26/2018

Unconscious Bias Workshop Tackles ‘Difficult Conversations We Need to Have’

Students, faculty, and staff participated in an SPH-led workshop to learn how to reduce bias in academic and professional settings.

Published on 9/17/2018

Significant Disparities in College Student Mental Health Treatment Across Race/Ethnicity

Half of white students with clinically significant mental health problems received treatment in the past year compared to one-quarter of African American and Asian students and one-third of Latinx students.

Published on 6/21/2018

Police Killings of Unarmed Black Americans Affect Mental Health of Black Community

[VIDEO] Police killings could contribute 55 million more poor mental health days every year among black Americans.

Published on 12/11/2017

‘Full Circle from Receiving Services to Being Part of the System’

Student Chrystel Murrieta on the Barkley Holiday Party, Students of Color for Public Health, and discovering that public health efforts were part of her childhood.

Published on 12/2/2017

Education Can Narrow Racial Disparities in Alzheimer’s

Differences in years of education account for much of the gap between Alzheimer’s rates in black and white seniors.

Published on 5/3/2018

‘White Supremacy Is Bad for Health’

Mary Bassett on the public health effects of the Trump administration, why government needs activism, and applying lessons from Zimbabwe as the New York City health commissioner.

Published on 11/9/2017

Air Pollution Exposure Inequality Persists in Massachusetts

[VIDEO] While Massachusetts has reduced ambient air pollution, more of the exposure burden falls on vulnerable urban communities, with a growing gap.

Published on 1/5/2017

‘It's Hard to Say Whether It's Better or Worse’

[VIDEO] Professor David Jones on Robert Kennedy, Obamacare, and the Mississippi Delta’s “food swamp.”

Published on 9/29/2016

Detangling the Roots of Black Hair and Health

[VIDEO] Student Kirsten Minor illuminates chemical exposure risk for hairdressers and their clients.

[video] Published on 8/30/2018

Black Moms, in Their Own Words

Alum Fatima Dainkeh's video project looks beyond inequality data in her new short film, Stories of Black Motherhood.

In the Media–Revisited

WAMU

Study: Segregation a Key Contributor to Racial Disparity in Police Shootings — interview with Michael Siegel, professor of community health sciences.

MassLive

Why Are Black Residents in Massachusetts More Likely to Die Young? — quotes Candice Belanoff, clinical assistant professor of community health sciences.

BuzzFeed

Critics Say the Trump Administration Hasn’t Done Enough to Stop Right-Wing Extremism — quotes alum Ali Noorani.

Boston Globe

With or Without the Catsuit, Serena Williams Is Going to Serve Black Excellence — quotes alum Fatima Dainkeh.

Reuters

Police Violence Takes Most Years of Life from Youth and People of Color — quotes Ziming Xuan, associate professor of community health sciences.

View all media posts

Looking Ahead

Artist in Residence: Rhodessa Jones

Faculty Staff Forum
Tuesday, October 15, 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm, Hiebert Lounge.

Selections from THE MEDEA PROJECT
Wednesday, October 16, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Bakst Auditorium.

Student Workshop
Thursday, October 17, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Crosstown 305.

DEAN'S SYMPOSIUM—400 Years of Inequality: Breaking the Cycle of Systemic Racism

Friday, October 18, 8:30 am – 2:30 pm, Hiebert Lounge.

(Around BU) Diversity & Inclusion Speaker Series—Kimberlè Crenshaw: Intersectional Identities and Race

Monday, October 21, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm, Questrom Auditorium, 595 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA.

(Around BU) Diversity & Inclusion Speaker Series—Jonathan Metzl: The Politics of Race and Health

Tuesday, October 22, 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm, Keefer Auditorium.

(Around BU) Diversity & Inclusion Lunch Series—The Role of Intersectionality in Our Work

Monday, October 28, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm, Dean's Conference Room.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION SEMINAR—Black Reparations: The ARC of Justice

Wednesday, November 6, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm, Bakst Auditorium.

(Around BU) Diversity & Inclusion Lunch Series—Reflective Discussion of the Book Dying of Whiteness

Monday, November 18, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm, Dean's Conference Room.

View full SPH calendar

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