Education, money, and power provide access to good health. However, access to those systems is limited for people of color by the historic and systemic injustices that benefit white people. This is one manifestation of White Privilege.
Health - A White Privilege
The data show that factors like your race, income, and ZIP Code have a bigger impact on your health than your behavior, your medical care, or your genetic code. These social determinants of health are also social determinants of economic and social class mobility–those that get good educations are more likely to earn more and achieve positions of authority, those that earn more are able to take advantage of more opportunities and experiences, and those who hold positions of power are able to make decisions that benefit them and their families. Great disparities exist between white and non-white people in education, money, and the concentration of power, which gives white people a significant advantage in achieving and maintaining good health.
Coloradans with more education have better health and lower rates of:
- Chronic Disease
- Early Death
- Being Uninsured
However, Coloradans of color have less access to high quality education.
Coloradans with more money have better health and can more easily afford:
- Safe Housing
- Health Care
- Health Insurance
However, Coloradans of color have less access to good jobs and economic opportunity.
Coloradans in paid or elected positions of power can shape policies around:
- Costs of Care
- Health Priorities
- Health Insurance
However, Coloradans of color have less access to health care decision-making roles.
These disparities exist for many reasons, from institutional policies that under-resource schools in communities of color, to discriminatory lending, hiring, and employment practices, to both the explicit and subversive ways people of color have been kept out of positions of authority in major institutions and government. These disparities will continue to exist until we address their root causes. The opportunity to live a healthy life should be a matter of fact, not a matter of privilege. Because when our neighbors are healthy, our communities prosper, and Colorado is stronger.