We like to think children are safe from dealing with the realities of racism and systemic oppression, but a new study has found the stark opposite is true. While economic, educational, and political disparities remain issues in the Black community, now we have something else to add to our already hefty plate of worries: the shocking death rate of Black children.
According to a study by Annals of Internal Medicine, not only are Black children dying at higher rates than white children, but this trend dates all the way back to 1950. It begs the question: how much progress have we actually made if Black children have been disproportionately dying for at least the past 75 years?
What’s the Data Say?
The study titled “Excess Mortality Rate in Black Children Since 1950 in the United States,” analyzed mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Census Bureau between 1950 and 2019. With that, the death rates, life expectancy and estimated years of potential life lost were all calculated.
Based on the data, Black children and infants were found to be twice as likely to die compared to their white counterparts... and that’s not all either. “Our analyses underscore the large racial inequalities in childhood mortality that have been present since the 1950s in the United States,” researchers said. One of the most shocking parts about the study is an estimated five million deaths could’ve been prevented, including 522,617 infants.
What Are the Causes?
According to experts, the leading causes of death for children ages 5 to 19 were all external. This means homicides, suicides, trauma and preventable accidents have been killing our children at unimaginable rates.
Being Black in America already comes with challenges. Black folks historically have less generational wealth, more debt, and less support. According to the study, this all plays a significant part in the mortality trend. “Lower income, food insecurity, less education, and worse health insurance coverage” were also cited as key factors.
To keep things short, all of the above factors can be summed up into one big bubble: systemic racism. Since this country’s inception, Black people have been victims of discrimination, and according to this study, it’s been killing us since childhood. “The underlying causes of the inequalities in mortality documented here are embedded in a history of race-based inequity and discrimination against the Black population of the United States,” the study said.
Now What?
Studies show communities where residents are more educated are associated with less violent crime. Less crime means safer streets for our children. Not only that, but curving the food insecurity within the Black community is also a key way to help prevent deaths, according to the study.
As much as the data is both disturbing and shocking, the trend has existed for almost eight decades. Maybe the question should be why?