Racism is the act of discrimination against a person or a group of persons of different races with the notion that they are of an inferior race. Racism is a serious issue which affects institutions, people and also countries negatively. This essay seeks to discuss the impact of the three types of racism on health according to Dr. Jones and also give a detailed example of how racism can be a chronic stressor based on the film When the Bough Breaks.
Dr. Jones breaks racism into three different types namely; Institutionalized racism, Personally mediated racism and Internalized racism (Jones, 2014). All these three types negatively impact people’s health. The first type, Institutionalized racism is the differential access to opportunities or services in a society based on one's race and this impacts health since the culture or norms in a society may hinder one’s access to quality health care based on their race. Personally mediated racism leads to differential assumptions about the intents of other based on their race, for example, a white police officer may suspect one of being a criminal and injure or torture them simply because of their race, therefore impacting their health negatively. Internalized racism deals with the acceptance of negative messages about their own abilities by members of the stigmatized race (Jones, 2014). For example, a black man internalizes racism leading to self-devaluation and helplessness which in turn leads to high levels of stress or blood pressure which affects his health.
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There is a manifestation of the impact of racism on health in the film When the Bough Breaks. Racism is not an occasional problem but a daily-dose stressor that is added to the other life stressors over a period of time (California Newsreel, 2017). This stress accumulation was evident in Kim Anderson’s experience when she delivered prematurely. Despite Anderson’s level of education, income, and meticulousness during her pregnancy, her child still came prematurely and was underweight due to racism which is a chronic stressor. The unequal treatment causes one to experience levels of anxiety which makes the body release stress hormones responsible for the wear and tear of the body and this is what causes women of color to deliver prematurely when compared to their white counterparts despite attaining the same levels of education or income. The negative environment which people of color such as Anderson live in is detrimental to their health.
Conclusion
It is important to treat people equally and not to exhibit forms of racism since it has a negative impact on their health. Racism, for instance, is a chronic stressor which affects delivery in African-American women in the United States. The three types of racism also contribute negatively to the health of those affected. It is, therefore, true to say that inequality makes people sick.
Reference;
California Newsreel, C. (2017). Unnatural Causes: Is inequality making us sick? Retrieved 27 July 2017, from https://wwwtc.pbs.org/unnaturalcauses/assets/resources/when_bough_breaks_transcript.pdf
