Legacy of Slavery

During our last class, we discussed the lasting impression that slavery left on our country. As a Political Science and Urban and Community Health major, I have had many opportunities to research and examine the ways in which policy intersects with and affects our lives. One of my main areas of interest is healthcare and health outcome disparities. When I thought about the legacy of slavery, this is the first thing that came to mind because it is simply undeniable. It is easy for individuals to discount others’ experiences out of ignorance, but it is extremely difficult to look at data that tells us that people of color in the United States are statistically more likely to live shorter, less healthy lives as a result of their position in society.

            One common counter-argument to this data is that there may be a biological difference between races that causes the differences we see. However, studies have been completed that track health outcomes for African American citizens in the United States in comparison to African citizens who have lived their entire lives in Africa. The results show that Africans’ health outcomes are comparable to a white citizens’ health outcomes in the United States. In addition, African American citizens who have participated in similar studies show higher levels of cortisol in the blood than white participants. Cortisol is a hormone that is released when we are in stressful situation and creates a fight or flight response. It slows our metabolisms, increases the heart rate, and induces a host of other physiological reactions, which when experienced over a long period of time, increase risk for things like cancer, heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. It is no coincidence, then, that African Americans are experiencing each of these diseases at higher rates than white citizens as a result of the stressors that society imposes upon them.

            In my opinion, this data is simultaneously infuriating and saddening. It is difficult for me to articulate the mix of emotion I feel when I confront the fact that because I am white, I will literally have an easier time accomplishing what I want to accomplish in life, even down to having good health. Even though there is no biological reason for it, I have a smaller chance of developing a number of dread diseases because I have the privilege of not facing race-related stressors on a day to day basis. To me, this is one of the most flabbergasting legacies that slavery has left on our country and I hope that I will be able to use my career path to influence policy that will work to change that reality in some way.