On this episode of The Parley in All Blue, Mark is joined by Journalist, editor, educator and author, Linda Villarosa. Linda has delivered a critically important book that is a must read! The title is Under The Skin: The Hidden toll of racism on American lives and on the health of our nation. In this book, Linda describes how and why black Americans live sicker and die quicker and it's not because of race or class, but because of racism. Linda, through numerous amounts of data and the stories of people, lays out in detail how this came to be and some ways forward. As a former writer for Essence and now a writer for the New York times magazine she has reported on many issues and the health of black Americans. Whether it be HIV/AIDS, environmental racism and its effects on health, eugenics, diet Covid, she's been at the forefront of writing and reporting our story in the healthcare system. 

Highlights from the episode:

• Linda talks about her journey to understanding how racism and health intersect (5:20)
• Are black bodies different? Do we have physiological/biological differences that create different health disparities? (10:45)
• The Relf Sisters and their story (14:30)
• The story of Simone landrum in New Orleans and how unequal treatment in healthcare can really have some some bad outcomes for black folks in particularly for black women (18:35)
• Where does the profession of Doula stand? More information about Doulas and Latona Giwa (23:09)

Resources:

Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation

Connect with Linda Villarosa

LinkedIn: @linda-villarosa

Website: https://www.lindavillarosa.com/

Twitter: @lindavillarosa

Connect with Mark Dawson:

Instagram: @iammarkdawson

LinkedIN: @mark-a-dawson

Website: www.bentonmuse.com

Twitter: @Iammarkdawson