Disease doesn’t discriminate. Disease also doesn’t operate in a vacuum. As public health researchers have spent more time looking at how disease affects certain populations, public health professionals have come to realize the critical impact that social determinants play in people’s health: everything from the economy, the environment, access to food, clean air, and water affect a person’s health. Where a person lives can have a direct impact in how long they live and the type of health they encounter during their life. This is true in San Francisco, where a recent health assessment found that, “on average, Black/African American residents live 10 years less than Whites, 14 years less than Asian and Pacific Islanders, and 11 years less than Latinos(as).”
The situation isn’t much different across the bay in Alameda County. According to the Alameda County Health Department, someone who identifies as African-American born in West Oakland can expect to live 71 years whereas their white counterparts in the Oakland Hills can expect to live 85 years, a difference of 14 years. This data isn’t new and unfortunately, not surprising. The question has been and continues to be, ‘what can we do about it?’
The past five years have given rise to a number of movements, including Black Lives Matter, and the Movement for Black Lives, that are asking this question with clarity and purpose, and demanding an answer. Though the Black Lives Matter movement started as a response to police brutality against African-Americans, its philosophy has grown to encompass all the ways in which people who identify as black/African-American are being injured. This includes inequality when it comes to health.
