Black lives are being lost to COVID-19 at twice the rate of others. Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes compared white women. Black children are more than three times more likely to die after surgery than white children. Black people are 3.23 times more likely to die at the hands of the police than white people. The Black Lives Matter movement protests against the destructive devaluing of Black lives at the hands of law enforcement and other racially-motivated violence; it is equally clear that Black lives need to be more valued in terms of the healthcare they have access to and receive.
By nearly any measure, Black people suffer disproportionately in America. They face countless challenges to good health, among them food, transportation, and income. Healthcare services are often more expensive, with over 30% of medical expenses faced by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) being associated with health inequities. The stress of living life inescapably affected by racism has very real effects on a person’s physical and mental health.
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