Jim Crow laws and segregation never just disappeared. They left their mark all across the nation, and we can still see the effects on our day-to-day lives. This is particularly relevant in the area of healthcare, where nearly every aspect of going to the doctor has different outcomes for Black people.
Doctor’s offices, healthcare clinics, and hospitals were once segregated based on race. Of course, policing this affected treatment – and Black people received lower-quality care. This Jim Crow problem persisted as a legal descendant of discrimination like the Black Codes, and still shapes the system today.
Black people are still segregated and our communities – including our healthcare – are still under-resourced. While things like police departments are extremely well-funded, our human rights suffer to the tune of worse outcomes in treatment, care, and quality of life.
We’re sick, suffering, and dying at disproportionate rates. We can see it with COVID-19, where we experience a drastic overrepresentation in hospitalization and deaths, and we’re even seeing discrimination in vaccine distribution. This isn’t just a coincidence.
Medical racism has led Black people to distrust the establishment, but we’re also getting hit by neglect. We have to prioritize our care and work to ensure good healthcare for all people – healthcare is a human right, not a privilege based on employment or wealth!