Essay On Racial Health Disparities

6. Racial health disparities, like racial income and wealth disparities, are clearly present in our society. Black Americans have greater risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer (lecture 10). Blacks also have far higher rates of hypertension from high blood pressure. Like other types of inequality, there is a debate over where the root of this discrepancy lies.
The biological argument is one that genetics are the basis for susceptibility to disease. If this were the case, then west Africans that share ancestry with black Americans should demonstrate similar rates of disease, but this is not the case. Blacks in the Caribbean also express lower rates of hypertension. The continuation of the biological argument, then relates to epigenetics, which is the phenomenon genetic code in response to external circumstances, particularly in regards to trauma. Looking at the issue with an epigenetic lens, experiencing racial trauma and macroaggressions on a daily basis could change the genetic code to be more susceptible to disease. This theory is supported by the fact that newer immigrants tend to have better health than those who have been here longer (lecture 10). Consequently, biology alone is unable to describe the reason for the health differences we observe. …show more content…
Something that many whites have trouble coming to terms with is that although they might not personally be racist, they probably still benefit from a racist society. An example is the presence of assets such as home ownership or other wealth that are passed down through generations in white households. A few generations ago, black families were not able to buy that home, and have since been excluded from the appreciation of its value, or the interest from investments resulting from its sale. A white person who was born after the end of these discriminatory housing policies still receives a benefit from them in the form of wealth passed down through their parents and