The foundation of modern racial categories and implications for research on black/white disparities in health

Abstract

The persistence of black/white disparities in health outcomes has led some to question the approaches public health, biomedical and clinical researchers use to classify, describe, and analyze race. Although these fields appear ready for the emergence of new strategies for studying race, they must first develop a solid understanding of the historical bases for the concept. This article adds to the health disparities discourse by explaining the origins of the US race and ethnicity concepts and clarifying ways in which race is 'real.' The idea of distinct and hierarchically valued races is a dominant, though problematic paradigm for explaining human diversity. We propose that the construct of race is inseparable from the term's origins and, in research must be treated as such. Doing so appropriately may enhance cross-disciplinary efforts to target the fundamental causes of racial disparities in health. We draw on multi-disciplinary research to explain how race became fixed within the American mind, describe how it structures human interactions, and highlight limitations of the official racial/ethnic categories enumerated by the US Office of Management and Budget.