A Glimpse of Chapter 11, Social Determinants of Health Among African-American Men — Social Determinants of Health among African-American Men (2012) is the first book to systematically address the impact of societal factors, such as racism, on the health of African-American men. It reframes the narrative around Black men’s health — a narrative which has traditionally taken a “blame the victim” approach, characterizing…

The global health field continues to be shaped by racism and the legacy of colonization, with the global north (e.g., North America and Europe) directing global health policy and practice in the global south (e.g., Africa). The inequality and imbalance of power in global health is exemplified by recently publicized…

I can very much relate. During my adolescent years, I grew up in Birkenhead, near Liverpool (UK). At that time, Birkenhead was a virtually all-white town; many of my experiences were akin to something out of a Richard Wright novel. For example, I can remember constantly being told to smile…

Excerpt from “Racializing Mental Illness: Understanding African-Caribbean Schizophrenia in the UK” — The following is an excerpt from an article I wrote in 2008 which is sadly still very relevant today. In the paper, I argue that “the interplay between racial minority status stress, racism-induced stress, and racial bias in diagnosis may be significant factors influencing the high Black incidence rate of…

Racial mythology regarding biological racial differences in Black people arose as a justification for slavery; incredibly, this “race as biology” ideology continues to inform medical practice today. In keeping with the mission of The 1619 Project (to highlight the legacy of slavery in modern America), race-based medicine is a powerful…

I recently became aware of the surprisingly high number of mainstream scientists who are publishing articles that focus on genetic explanations of racial health inequalities. This is something that flies in the face of what has been known for some time — that there is no scientific basis for race. Embracers of Genetic Diversity …