Separate: Black Health in America

Listen 48:46
(Illustration by Ella Trujillo)

(Illustration by Ella Trujillo)

Segregation in housing and education has had reverberations on health care and health outcomes for African-Americans. In this episode, we explore the legacy of that separation. We meet some of the people who helped integrate hospitals as the Civil Rights fight was heating up, and hear from a millennial mom, who says that, yes — even in 2018, finding a black doctor to care for her girls is “a thing.” Throughout the episode, we also visit separate, largely black spaces that nourish African-American health and well-being.

Also heard on this episode:

  • Pierre Johnson talks about his path to becoming a physician – he’s co-authored a book about his experiences called “The Pulse of Perseverance.”
  • New York Times Magazine writer Nikole Hannah Jones explores segregation in schools and the long-lasting effects on health and career choices.
  • Rickey Powell and Jeff Drew describe their experiences growing up in “Dynamite Hill,” a neighborhood in Birmingham, Alabama that was targeted by the Klan.

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