Pizarro 1

Dominic Pizarro
Professor Sartin
AFRS 100-04
1 October 2013
Impact of Racism upon Personal ealt!
Racism !as been t!e bane of America be"innin" #it! t!e sla$e tra%e an% continuin"
presentl& %espite our election of an African American presi%ent' Alt!ou"! racism ma& not be as
apparent( its influence e)ists #it!in t!e !ealt! %isparities encountere% b& African Americans'
Dominica Francoise *c+ri%e publis!e% !er article ,*anifestin" -mpo#erment. o# a Famil&
ealt! Pro"ram /an A%%ress Racism0 in t!e Journal of Black Psychology 2011( %etailin"
!er stu%& on t!e effects of current !ealt! %isparities on African Americans1 p!&sical !ealt!'
*c+ri%e1s researc! points to t!e lar"er issue of %eterioration of t!e African American b&
unbri%le% racism' 2n%erl&in" racism currentl& in societ& causes African Americans to %e$elop
p!&sical !ealt! complications( emotional %istress( an% lo# self-esteem'
In ,*anifestin" -mpo#erment. o# a Famil& ealt! Pro"ram /an A%%ress Racism(0
*c+ri%e be"ins b& %ispla&in" t!e lac3 of pro"ress in !ealt! care pro$i%e% to African Americans(
an% b& %oin" so e)plains t!e e)i"ence of a%%ressin" racism in in%i$i%ual an% communit&
en$ironments 4*c+ri%e 3356' *c+ri%e refrences 7ir3 Da$is1 replication of /lar3 an% /lar31s
%oll stu%&( as an e)ample of t!e continue% ne"ati$e min%set to#ar%s %ar3er s3in color' 8!e
c!il%ren in Da$is1 stu%& #ere "i$en a blac3 an% #!ite %oll( an% #!en as3e% #!ic! %oll t!e&
,li3e% t!e best0 or t!ou"!t #as t!e ,nice %oll0 19 out of 21 c!il%ren c!ose t!e #!ite %oll
4*c+ri%e 33:6' In an effort to a%%ress t!e issue of racism( *c+ri%e con%ucte% a stu%& in;uirin"
from African American parents<"uar%ians an% !ealt! care professionals #!at #oul% be necessar&
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to construct a ,culturall& responsi$e famil& !ealt! pro"ram4FP6' 4*c+ri%e 34060 Famil&(
*c+ri%e claims( is a ,prominent cultural tool an% resource0( a nee%e% factor in t!e e;uation of
abolis!in" racism= *c+ri%e also un%erstoo% African American parents are tas3e% #it! #!at *'F'
Peters %escribes as racial socialization( t!e nee% to pro$i%e for an% raise c!il%ren ,#it!in t!e
mun%ane e)treme en$ironmental stress of racism0 an% raise ,p!&sicall& an% emotionall& !ealt!&
c!il%ren #!o are +lac3 in a societ& #!ic! bein" +lac3 !as ne"ati$e connotations' 4*c+ri%e
33>60 *c+ri%e inclu%e% professionals in !er stu%& to maintain an ob?ecti$e position an% pro$i%e
an informe% professional outloo3 of t!e issue' After separatin" t!e parents<"uar%ians an% t!e
professionals into t#o focus "roups( eac! "roup #as "i$en a %emo"rap!ic sur$e& follo#e% b& a
1'9 !our "roup %iscussion "ui%e% b& preset ;uestions' 8!e %ocumente% results propose% a si)
part solution. ,en!ancin" self-esteem an% empo#erin" t!e in%i$i%ual( pro$i%in" positi$e +lac3
role mo%els for &out!( !i"!li"!tin" talents an% manifestin" stren"t!s( e%ucation( increasin"
co!esion #it!in t!e +lac3 communit&( an% increasin" co!esion #it! ot!er et!nic "roups #it!in a
communit&' 4*c+ri%e 34460
*c+ri%e presents a stron" ar"ument t!rou"!out !er article( be"innin" #it! a concrete
establis!ment of racism an% #!at s!e asserts must be %one to pre$ent t!e furt!er "ro#t! of
racism' 8!e references to Da$is1 stu%& an% Peters1 %efinition of racial socialization are essential
to t!e foun%ation of *c+ri%e1s stu%& an% t!e s!apin" of !er %ecision to c!oose African American
parents<"uar%ians as stu%& participants' Alt!ou"! *c+ri%e inclu%es afore mentione% refrences
an% pro%uces a lar"e amount of $ali%it& concernin" !er ar"ument( s!e fails to pro$i%e t!e
$ie#point of a lar"e social "roup !i"!l& affecte% b& racism( African American &out!' *c+ri%e1s
limitation of !er stu%& to one nei"!bor!oo% an% not inclu%in" t!e &out!1s perspecti$e( causes t!e
results to lac3 a%%itional information nee%e% to ensure success of an FP' 8!e failure to
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implement t!e stu%& results in an actual FP( %iminis!es *c+ri%e1s fin%in" an% raises t!e
;uestion #!et!er t!e results coul% #or3 in practice an% not onl& t!eor&'
@ie#in" t!is topic from a broa%er perspecti$e( t!e lar"er issue of un%erl&in" racism in
societ& becomes e$i%ent' 8!rou"!out sc!ools( #or3places( an% e$er&%a& acti$ities( African
Americans are sub?ect to t!e ne"ati$e effects of racism' A &oun" c!il% #!o atten%s sc!ool an% is
tease% for t!e color of !is s3in can %e$elop "reat emotional stress to t!e point of committin"
suici%e' An African American #!o #or3s in a racial en$ironment coul% %e$elop !ealt!
complications lea%in" to an earl& %eat!' 8!e failure to accept t!e African American culture an%
people( causes !arm on an immense scale not onl& for African Americans( but for t!e positi$e
%e$elopment of t!e entire societ&' A societ& is not trul& functionin" until as *artin Aut!er 7in"(
Br' state% in !is speec! ,I a$e A Dream(0 ,'''little blac3 bo&s an% blac3 "irls #ill be able to ?oin
!an%s #it! little #!ite bo&s an% #!ite "irls as sisters an% brot!ers' 47in" C5C6 0 Racism is a
$irus #!ic! continues to pla"ue societ&( but is not as e$i%ent as in t!e past= t!e 3e& to pre$entin"
t!e "ro#t! of racism is to abolis! t!e %isparities bet#een #!at et!nicities recei$e in !ealt!care(
e%ucation( an% o$erall ;ualit& of life'
*c+ri%e %e$elope% a stron" e)i"ence for !ealt!care reform in !er stu%& an% a%%resse%
t!e lar"er issue of unbri%le% racism in societ&' Since t!e -mancipation Proclamation( America
!as stri$e% to#ar%s t!e abolis!ment of racism( an% s!oul% continue pursuin" t!at "oal' If racism
is left unc!ec3e%( t!e African American communit& #ill continue to face its current !ar%s!ips' In
a countr& t!at ple%"es to "i$e e$er& in%i$i%ual ,life( libert&( an% t!e pursuit of !appiness0 s!oul%
not i%l& stan%b& as a racial minorit& is unable to recei$e e;ual treatment' A national stan%ar% of
e;ualit& must be set an% not affecte% b& racial %iscrimination for pro"ress to continue'
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Dor3s /ite%
7in"( Br'( *artin Aut!er' ,I a$e a Dream0 Call and Response: Key Debates in frican
!erican "tudies# -%s' enr& Aouis Eates Br' an% Bennifer +urton' Fe# Gor3.
Forton H /o( 2011'
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*c+ri%e( Dominica' I*anifestin" -mpo#erment. o# a Famil& ealt! Pro"ram /an A%%ress
Racism'I Journal of Black Psychology( 35'3 420116. 33C-39C'