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Review
. 2022 Feb;9(1):52-58.
doi: 10.1007/s40615-020-00928-y. Epub 2020 Nov 16.

Racism, COVID-19, and Health Inequity in the USA: a Call to Action

Crista E Johnson-Agbakwu  1   2   3   4 , Nyima S Ali  5   6   7 , Corrina M Oxford  8 , Shana Wingo  9 , Emily Manin  10 , Dean V Coonrod  5   6   7
Affiliations
Review

Racism, COVID-19, and Health Inequity in the USA: a Call to Action

Crista E Johnson-Agbakwu et al. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2022 Feb.

Abstract

The current national COVID-19 mortality rate for Black Americans is 2.1 times higher than that of Whites. In this commentary, we provide historical context on how structural racism undergirds multi-sector policies which contribute to racial health inequities such as those highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We offer a concrete, actionable path forward to address structural racism and advance health equity for Black Americans through anti-racism, implicit bias, and cultural competency training; capacity building; community-based participatory research (CBPR) initiatives; validated metrics for longitudinal monitoring of efforts to address health disparities and the evaluation of those interventions; and advocacy for and empowerment of vulnerable communities. This necessitates a multi-pronged, coordinated approach led by clinicians; public health professionals; researchers; social scientists; policy-makers at all governmental levels; and local community leaders and stakeholders across the education, legal, social service, and economic sectors to proactively and systematically advance health equity for Black Americans across the USA.

Keywords: Advocacy; COVID-19; Health disparities; Health inequality; Structural racism.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

References

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