Racism Still Affects Health
Although some people believe that we live in a post racial society, I disagree with this. Racism has made an ongoing appearance in our society and it continues to affect society physically and mentally today. Racism, along with other factors such as poverty, still prevent Americans from being the healthiest they can be. While racism is not as blatant as it used to be in the past, there are still laws that specifically target people of color and criminals.1
Incarceration rates along with poor health have been increasing in America. Research shows a direct relationship between incarceration and poor health. More specifically, mass incarceration leads to poor health outcomes such as chronic issues due to the increased levels of stress and increase in Body Mass Index.2 Family members of those incarcerated are also affected as they experience increased levels of stress and poor mental health.2 Those who have been incarcerated not only suffer from
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Studies show that all races are involved in drug crimes; white people most likely and yet African Americans are the ones being severely punished for it.1 Consequently, due to these discriminations, African Americans suffer from poor health more than White Americans do and they have a higher risk of early death.3 It is also important to note that disadvantaged minorities have a higher incarceration rate than disadvantaged whites.1 People of color have also specifically been targeted in the stop and frisk program. What was designed to increase safety only increased racial profiling. The responsibility of choosing who to stop based on suspicion was left to the police. However, it seems that race also influenced the police’s decision as minorities were targeted more than