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
Colorful compilation of photos of Black people
Centering Black Voices
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Staff Pick!
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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
Screen capture of article cover photo: Achieving Racial and Ethnic Equity in U.S. Health Care: A Scorecard of State Performance
Achieving Racial and Ethnic Equity in U.S. Health Care: A Scorecard of State Performance
Resource - Report
Brought to you by The Commonwealth Fund
PDF Cover: Why Do Black Americans Have Higher Prevalence of Hypertension?
Why Do Black Americans Have Higher Prevalence of Hypertension?
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by American Heart Association
First page of How Ancestral Trauma Informs Patients’ Health Decision Making
How Ancestral Trauma Informs Patients’ Health Decision Making
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by AMA
Cover page of Black Americans Have a Clear Vision for Reducing Racism but Little Hope It Will Happen
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
First page of Clinicians’ Racial Biases as Pathways to Iatrogenic Harms for Black People
Clinicians’ Racial Biases as Pathways to Iatrogenic Harms for Black People
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by AMA
Graphic depicting key elements of the Health Impact Assessment Report entitled Improving Philadelphia's Rental Regulatory and Housing Support Systems which includes icons related to the following: affordable housing; people living in poverty; Urban; Mixed methods; humane housing
Improving Philadelphia's Rental Regulatory and Housing Support Systems
Resource - Assessment
Brought to you by Health Impact Project
Published on 09/06/2022
Screen capture of Black Deaf Stories webpage
Black Deaf Stories
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by Black Deaf Center
Screen capture of Black Wealth Data Center
Black Wealth Data Center
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by BWDC
First Page for Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter: A Commentary on Racism and Public Health
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by APHA
PDF Cover page: Ending Student Criminalization and the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Ending Student Criminalization and the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by New York University
Screen capture of National Institutes of Health Style Guide webpage
NIH Style Guide
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by NIH
Screen grab of Vaccinating Black Californias Through Faith Communities
Vaccinating Black Californians Through Faith Communities
Resource - Case Study
Brought to you by PHI
Screen capture of Institutionalized Racism: A Syllabus
Institutionalized Racism: A Syllabus
Resource - Website/webpage
Screen capture of Minority Population Profiles webapge
Minority Population Profiles
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Gallup Center on Black Voices
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by Gallup
Cover page of Guide to Racial Healing: The REPAIR Framework for Community-Institution Solidarity in Racial Healing
Guide to Racial Healing: The REPAIR Framework for Community-Institution Solidarity in Racial Healing
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by Build Healthy Places Network
Screen grab of Racial Trauma
Racial Trauma
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by MHA
Screen capture of Health Disparities
Kidney Disease Health Disparities
Resource - Website/webpage
Stories to Celebrate Black History Month
Resource - Data Bank/repository
condom packaging on red background Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash
Bright Spot: d-up: Defend Yourself!
Resource - Model Policy
Brought to you by 100MHL
Screen shot of top of paper: Firearm Deaths Grow, Disparities Widen: Comprehensive Strategies Can Prevent Violence and Help Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities
Firearm Deaths Grow, Disparities Widen
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by CDC
First page of Black/African American Health in the United States: A Pathfinder to Resources
Black/African American Health in the United States: A Pathfinder to Resources
Resource
Brought to you by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
First page of Police-Recorded Crime and Disparities in Obesity and Blood Pressure Status in Chicago
Police-Recorded Crime and Disparities in Obesity and Blood Pressure Status in Chicago
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by American Heart Association
Screen capture of article cover photo: The Link Between Structural Racism, High Blood Pressure and Black People's Health
The Link Between Structural Racism, High Blood Pressure, and Black People’s Health
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by American Heart Association
Screen capture of the
Black History Month: A Medical Perspective
Resource - Data Bank/repository
Screen capture of How Land Banks and Community Land Trusts Can Partner for Racial Justice
How Land Banks and Community Land Trusts Can Partner for Racial Justice
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by Nonprofit Quarterly
Title page of Family Reunion Kidney Health Guide
Family Reunion Kidney Health Guide
Resource - Guide/handbook
Screen capture of 11 Terms You Should Know to Better Understand Structural Racism
11 Terms You Should Know to Better Understand Structural Racism
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by The Aspen Institute
Screen capture of Adultification Bias
Adultification Bias
Resource - Website/webpage
First page of Transgenerational Trauma and Trust Restoration
Transgenerational Trauma and Trust Restoration
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by AMA
Screen shot of top of web page: Save Our Streets (S.O.S.)
Save Our Streets (S.O.S.)
Resource - Data Bank/repository
Screen capture of Medicare and Dental Coverage: A Closer Look
Medicare and Dental Coverage: A Closer Look
Resource - Report
Brought to you by KFF
Screen grab of End the War on Black Health and Black Disabled People
End the War on Black Health and Black Disabled People
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by M4BL
Screen capture of Dental Health is Worse in Communities of Color
Dental Health Is Worse in Communities of Color
Resource - Report
Brought to you by The Pew Charitable Trusts
Valuing Black Assets in Black Communities
Resource - Podcast
Brought to you by Brookings
Screen capture of article cover photo: Understanding the Policing of Black, Disabled Bodies
Understanding the Policing of Black, Disabled Bodies
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by Center for American Progress
Screen capture of article cover photo: What It's Like to Be Black and Disabled in America
What It's Like to Be Black and Disabled in America
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by The Atlantic
Screen grab of In Seattle, Protests Over Racial Equity Turn to Land Ownership
In Seattle, Protests Over Racial Equity Turn to Land Ownership
Story - Written
Brought to you by Bloomberg L.P.
Published on 07/14/2020
Centering Black Voices lab
Story - Written
Picture of a Black mother playing with her child
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
Screen capture of The Forgotten History of Black Education in America article
The Forgotten History of Black Education in America
Story - Written
Brought to you by FC
Published on 02/15/2023
The Case for Reparations
Story - Written
Brought to you by The Atlantic
Screen capture of Georgia's Separate and Unequal Special-Education System
Georgia's Separate and Unequal Special-Education System
Story - Written
Brought to you by TNY
screenshot of the front page of the story
What It Looks Like to Reconnect Black Communities Torn Apart by Highways
Story - Written
Brought to you by Bloomberg L.P.
Close-up photo of a person with dark skin in front of a podcast microphone.
Centering Black Voices: Interview with Radiah Shabazz
Story - Written
Brought to you by Community Commons
Image of a mural depicting George Floyd. A blue banner in the top right corner reads
Trend Bending Policies for Advancing Racial Justice Part 1: Ending Police Violence
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Screen shot of Stranger Fruit photo:
“Stranger Fruit”: Black Mothers and the Fear of Police Brutality
Story - Written
Brought to you by The Marshall Project
Screen capture of Promoting Health Equity in Rural Communities story
Promoting Health Equity in Rural Communities
Story - Written
Brought to you by ChangeLab Solutions
Published on 12/13/2022
Screen capture of We See You: Why America Must Invest in Young Adults of Color
We See You: Why America Must Invest in Young Adults of Color
Story - Written
Brought to you by SSIR
peaceful black protestors kneeling in the street photo by Clay Banks from Unsplash
Black Lives Matter
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 06/05/2020
Shutterstock Image: Black Lives Matter people holding signs
Black Lives Matter and African Allyship
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Image capture of Reparations, Rebranded
Reparations, Rebranded
Story - Written
Screen capture of Racial Disparities Dashboard webpage
Racial Disparities Dashboard
Tool - Data/mapping Tool
Title page of Kidney Sundays: A Toolkit
Kidney Sundays: A Toolkit
Tool - Toolkit/toolbox

Data & Metrics


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