Health Disparity and the County Budget Crisis; Also, Testing for Anti-Black Bias
African Americans in Multnomah County are twice as likely to die from diabetes or stroke than white county residents. Hispanic mothers are two times less likely to have early prenatal care white mothers. Native Americans in the county die from HIV at three times the rate of whites.
Multnomah County, through programs like the Health Equity Intitiative, has made signficant progress in addressing health disparities. But as these figures from the County's March 2008 Report Card on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities show, much work remains to be done. How will the county do this as it struggles with a deepening budget crisis and the economic meltdown worsens the social and environmental factors that influence health equity in our region?
This week Jo Ann and Dave talk with Tricia Tillman, manager of the Multnomah County Health Department's Health Equity Intitiative about achievements and challenges yet to be met in eliminating health disparity.
Also this Thursday: Testing for Anti-Black Bias
A CNN poll last January found that 72 percent of whites thought that African Americans overestimated how much discrimination they encounter. The same poll found that 82 percent of blacks thought whites underestimated discrimination against blacks. Project Implicit, a virtual laboratory maintained by Harvard Univesity, the University of Washington and the University of Virginia, believes this disconnect may be partly due to whites holding an unconscious hidden bias. The project has conducted hundreds of thousands of online tests designed to detect such hidden biases. They found that three-quarters of whites have an implicit pro-white/anti-black bias. What does this mean for tackling racism in America? Take the test yourself - it only takes about 10 minutes - and join us in the conversation this Thursday.
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Comments
If a white person were to
If a white person were to wear a " white power" t-shirt, they would be labeled as a racist. If a black person wears a "black power" t-shirt, they would be praised for standing up for themselves. So it's no wonder that blacks are going to constantly say they are discriminated against- they are automatically given that option, and white people given less tolernce. That polarizes people right there. When I'm in a bar with mostly white people and a black person comes in, there are always guilt ridden white folks who go out of their way to show how accepting they are. When white people go into a mostly black bar, the attitude is just the opposite, extremely the opposite. I know. As long as there are people like Al Sharpton, who make a living off of racism, there will continue to be a schism between races. As long as you can blame someone else for all of your problems and get suppoted for it, that behavior will continue. Most of the white people I know aren't prejudiced because they don't even think about it. They have more important things to think about. Just like most people I know don't smoke cigarettes- they know it's stupid so why participate in it. But they don't dwell on it. People see any event from their own point of view, so you can see whatever you want to in any situation. As the great Bob Marley said " Emancipate yourself from mental slavery". When people stop crying "racism" over every problem, take responsibility for their own actions, and get to the real cause, then people of all colors can work together to solve our collective problems.
the systematic issue...