327: Another Burden to Bear: A History of Racial Health Disparities in America

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted 
communities of color. According to the CDC, 33% of people who’ve
been hospitalized due to the virus have been African-American,
despite making up only 18% of the population. The ongoing crisis
is a reminder of the racial health disparities that have plagued
the United States throughout its history. So on this episode of
BackStory, Joanne and Brian learn about how different communities
have struggled to acquire adequate health care.



NOTE: This episode was recorded before protests
took place across the country in response to the killing of
George Floyd by a white police officer. The protests, in addition
to the death toll of COVID-19, serve as brutal reminders of the
systemic inequalities afflicting communities of
color. 



Suggested Reading:


Murray, Shaw, and Siegel’s Reproductive Rights and Justice
Stories (Law Stories Series)



Jim Crow in the Asylum: Psychiatry and Civil Rights in the
American South by Kylie Smith



Madness in the City of Magnificent Intentions: A History of Race
and Mental Illness in the Nation’s Capital by Martin
Summers