ORLANDO, FL (Ivanhoe Newswire) — 47.2 million people living in the United States are black. That’s an all-time high, up 30 percent from 2000. According to Pew Research, Texas has the largest black population and New York has more black residents than any other city. Yet the numbers are not the only thing changing, so are the disparities between black and whites. Minority
Kamala Harris is the first black female vice president. At just 35, Doctor Jessica Watkins is the first black woman to complete an international space station long-term mission. Doctor Kezzmekia Corbett is lead scientist on the Moderna COVID 19 vaccine. They are all women of color breaking down barriers and the list goes on.
Serena Williams, Simone Biles, Halle Berry, Oprah, Michelle Obama — all black women reaching the top. But for many, the battle to get to an equal playing field has not been easy.
Today, 36 percent of black women have a college degree, compared to 51 percent of white women. And reports reveal black women are paid 64 percent of what white men are paid, and the rate of home ownership is 45 percent in the black community, compared to 74 among whites. The disparities impact health as well.
Joshua Bundy, PhD, Epidemiologist at Tulane University School of Public Health says, “The leading cause of death is cardiovascular disease followed closely by cancer.”
African Americans are at higher risk for heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, asthma, and pneumonia.
Epidemiologist Joshua Bundy says you can’t fix just one to bridge the gap. The country must look at how all these factors impact the others.
“it bears making sure that we understand that all of these things are likely interrelated with one another.” Explains Bundy.
And the more we become aware of it, the more likely we will be able to continue closing the gaps.
Unless system-wide changes are made now, a report from a Washington based think tank predicts it could take 228 years for African American households’ wealth to reach that of white families.
Sources:
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/02/10/key-facts-about-black-americans/
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Bob Walko, Editor.
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