Developed by Seabourne Consulting, experts in Black and African Americans

Black and African Americans


“Black and African Americans” is a phrase used to describe a diverse array of people. Racial and ethnic identities—and the language surrounding them—are continuously evolving, both generationally and through nuanced self-identification. Generally, the term Black denotes a racial identification, while African American refers to an ethnicity, specifically Americans with ancestry from one or more of the African continent’s Black racial groups. Historically, the term Black American referred to people of African descent with dark skin. In modern contexts, however, Black identity is not inherently tied to dark skin or specifically African descent. Black people may have light skin, or identify as Afro-Caribbean, Indigenous Australian, or Melanesian.


Since 1619, Black and African Americans have created, developed, engineered, built, written, composed, taught, researched, and led some of the most important foundations of U.S. history, culture, and technology. They have also been systematically exploited, excluded, and killed to further the unearned advantage of white Americans. From health disparities and wage gaps, to voter suppression, police brutality, redlining, environmental racism, and the adultification of Black children, Black lives have been consistently valued less by our society despite their immense contributions. Some of the most marginalized include disabled, LGBTQ+, and economically poor Black people.


In recent years, increasing momentum fueled by Black activism and the Black Lives Matter movement has pushed Black and African Americans to the forefront of social justice and advocacy. Even with the more direct spotlight, however, efforts often fall short of recognizing and addressing the compound effects of intersecting marginalizations, such as police violence against disabled Black people, inappropriate school discipline for Black girls, and fatal violence targeting transgender Black women. Black activism and allyship also remain controversial in many spaces and communities due to persisting stereotypes, discrimination, and anti-Black racism.


Achieving health equity and racial justice for Black and African Americans requires deeply uprooting racist systems that perpetuate their exploitation and abuse. Institutionalizing and operationalizing equity and justice throughout all leadership levels of all sectors will require organizations, allies, and systems to deeply center and follow the leadership of people with lived experience. Community-led processes, self-representation, and centering Black voices are a few effective tactics communities can leverage to advance equity and well-being for Black and African Americans. 


Resources & Tools


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Priority Populations Channel
Resource - Data Bank/repository
Brought to you by Community Commons
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Centering Black Voices
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
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Black Americans Have a Clear Vision for Reducing Racism but Little Hope It Will Happen
Resource - Report
Brought to you by The Pew Charitable Trusts
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Black Wealth Data Center
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by BWDC
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Black Lives Matter: A Commentary on Racism and Public Health
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by APHA
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Vaccinating Black Californians Through Faith Communities
Resource - Case Study
Brought to you by PHI
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Institutionalized Racism: A Syllabus
Resource - Website/webpage
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Gallup Center on Black Voices
Resource - Website/webpage
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Racial Trauma
Resource - Website/webpage
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Kidney Disease Health Disparities
Resource - Website/webpage
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Stories to Celebrate Black History Month
Resource - Data Bank/repository
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Bright Spot: d-up: Defend Yourself!
Resource - Model Policy
Brought to you by 100MHL
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Firearm Deaths Grow, Disparities Widen
Resource - Journal Article
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Black History Month: A Medical Perspective
Resource - Data Bank/repository
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How Land Banks and Community Land Trusts Can Partner for Racial Justice
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by Nonprofit Quarterly
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Family Reunion Kidney Health Guide
Resource - Guide/handbook
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Adultification Bias
Resource - Website/webpage
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Save Our Streets (S.O.S.)
Resource - Data Bank/repository
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In Seattle, Protests Over Racial Equity Turn to Land Ownership
Story - Written
Brought to you by Bloomberg L.P.
Published on 07/14/2020
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Centering Black Voices lab
Story - Written
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Bearing the Burden: How racism-related stress hurts America’s black mothers and babies
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 10/02/2018
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The Forgotten History of Black Education in America
Story - Written
Brought to you by FC
Published on 02/15/2023
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The Case for Reparations
Story - Written
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Georgia's Separate and Unequal Special-Education System
Story - Written
Brought to you by TNY
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What It Looks Like to Reconnect Black Communities Torn Apart by Highways
Story - Written
Brought to you by Bloomberg L.P.
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Centering Black Voices: Interview with Radiah Shabazz
Story - Written
Brought to you by Community Commons
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Trend Bending Policies for Advancing Racial Justice: Ending Police Violence
Story - Written
Brought to you by Community Commons
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Taking Action to End Gun Violence: Our Top Tools, Resources, Stories, and Data
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
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Promoting Health Equity in Rural Communities
Story - Written
Brought to you by ChangeLab Solutions
Published on 12/13/2022
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Black Lives Matter
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 06/05/2020
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Black Lives Matter and African Allyship
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
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Reparations, Rebranded
Story - Written
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Kidney Sundays: A Toolkit
Tool - Toolkit/toolbox

Data & Metrics


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BIPOC Health Equity Library
Library
Published on 09/27/2022

 Related Topics


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Environmental Racism

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Decolonization

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Racial Justice

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Justice System

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Health Equity

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Disparities in Healthcare

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Reproductive Justice

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Racism