Resource Pack: Racism and Health Inequities: Impacts on Black Americans

This resource portal was curated by the Global Health Education and Learning Incubator to provide an introductory snapshot of the impacts of racism and its effects on health inequities among Black Americans. This collection of resources explores the large-scale effects of racism on health, disparities in health outcomes, physiological impacts, and specific cases in social determinants—especially in the contemporary realms of COVID-19, maternal health, and environmental degradation. The deep roots of racism within the U.S, from enslavement through the Jim Crow Era, to the “War on Drugs”, mass incarceration and decades of racially motivated socioeconomic and police-centered violence, have obvious and direct corollaries to health outcomes.

Conducting a critical analysis of the way that racism affects health is essential for health sector workers, public health experts, policy makers, and the public to acknowledge, repair, and improve these conditions as they continue to have a disproportionately negative effect on the health and well-being of Black Americans. The resources in this collection explore how social and institutional frameworks in the U.S.—including criminal justice, socioeconomic, and health systems—are failing to provide equitable outcomes and health justice for Black Americans in the U.S.

The various resource types are suitable for multimodal learning in the classroom, hybrid, or online learning environments. All of these resources are free and are updated regularly. These resources may be useful to educators as they develop lesson plans, activities, or assignments detailing the impacts of racism in the U.S. Learners can apply critical thinking skills by exploring these resources, engaging in discussion, and analyzing how these findings can apply to their own life experiences, and can shape future engagement.

The Global Health Education and Learning Incubator at Harvard University supports interdisciplinary education about world health through the production, curation, and dissemination of educational public goods.