Artificial intelligence may promise convenience, but its environmental cost is falling hardest on Black neighborhoods. In a powerful reflection, Rev. Dr. Heber Brown III reveals how AI infrastructure is deepening environmental racism in places like Boxtown, a historic Black community in South Memphis. Just three miles from Boxtown, Elon Musk’s xAI supercomputer facility is releasing smog and harmful chemicals through gas turbines. “Residents are saying that they can barely breathe,” Brown writes. The facility joins more than 17 industrial sites in the area, compounding pollution and health risks. Boxtown residents face increased rates of asthma, heart disease, and a cancer…
Author: Disparity Matters
Drowning is the leading cause of death among children ages 1 to 4. This danger is magnified for Black families, as the fatal drowning rate for African American children is three times higher than for white children. The disparities in water safety are a result of systemic issues, historical racism, and inherited fear. Historically, Black Americans were kept out of public pools through violence and segregation during the 1920s through the 1940s. When the Civil Rights Movement pressured for integration, some municipalities chose to close pools rather than open them to everyone, making swimming lessons and access a privilege for…
Older Hispanic adults who lose all their natural teeth may face a steeper decline in cognitive function than their peers who retain their teeth. A new study analyzing data from over 23,000 participants found that edentulism—complete tooth loss—was linked to faster cognitive aging, especially among Hispanic individuals.While Hispanic and Black adults began with lower cognitive scores than white participants, their decline was generally slower. But for Hispanics without teeth, that protective trend disappeared. Their cognitive scores dropped about 0.03 points faster per year than those with teeth—a small but potentially significant difference over time.Researchers suggest several reasons for this link.…
Research from the University of Notre Dame reveals biological differences that may explain why Black women experience more aggressive breast cancers and higher mortality rates compared to white women. While breast cancer incidence is highest among white women, Black women are more likely to develop early-onset or aggressive subtypes like triple-negative breast cancer.The disparity becomes stark among younger women. Young Black women under 50 have double the mortality rate of young white women with breast cancer, according to the study published in iScience.Scientists discovered that a specific population of cells called PZP cells may contribute to this health inequality. These…
Black women face an 80% higher mortality rate from endometrial cancer compared to other groups, and new research suggests the disparity may stem from more than just unequal access to care. A team at Emory University used artificial intelligence to uncover biological differences in tumor behavior that may help explain the poorer outcomes.“Racism and equitable access to health care certainly play a big role,” said Anant Madabhushi, executive director of Emory’s Empathetic AI For Health Institute. “But with endometrial cancer, it may not completely explain the difference in mortality.”Using machine learning, researchers analyzed tissue slides from African American and European…
Obesity-related cancer deaths have tripled in the United States since 1999, with Black Americans and other marginalized groups bearing the brunt of the increase. A study presented at ENDO 2025 revealed that mortality rates from obesity-associated cancers rose from 3.7 to 13.5 deaths per million over two decades. The impact is not evenly distributed. Women, older adults, Native Americans, Black Americans, and residents of rural areas saw the most significant increases. “Obesity is a significant risk factor for multiple cancers, contributing to significant mortality,” said lead researcher Faizan Ahmed, MD. He emphasized the urgent need for early screening and better…
A persistent lack of physician diversity is quietly fueling disparities in health care access and outcomes across communities of color. According to analysis from KFF, Hispanic, Black, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN), and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) individuals remain starkly underrepresented among physicians, despite growing demand for racially concordant care. The mismatch is most striking for Hispanic people. Though they represent 20% of the U.S. population, they make up only 7% of the physician workforce. In states like New Mexico, where Hispanics constitute nearly half the population, they account for just 17% of physicians—a gap of 31…
Latinos in the United States may be at significantly higher risk for peripheral neuropathy—a condition marked by pain, tingling, and numbness in the hands and feet—than their white counterparts, according to new research published in Neurology. The study, which surveyed over 8,000 adults, found that 13% had peripheral neuropathy, with Latinos showing a 32% increased risk even after adjusting for health, lifestyle, and social factors.Study author Evan Lee Reynolds, PhD, of Michigan State University, noted that “race and ethnicity are social constructs without a biological basis and may be proxy… for hard-to-measure risk factors.” Despite controlling for known contributors like…
While youth suicide has drawn national attention, older white men remain the most at-risk group—yet their crisis is often overlooked. CDC data show that men aged 75 and older have the highest suicide rates in the country, with 38.2 deaths per 100,000 among those 75–84 and 55.7 among those over 85. Among these, white men are disproportionately affected.Silvia Canetto, a psychology professor at Colorado State University, notes that suicide is especially high among men of European descent. These men often don’t face severe social or health challenges, but they do share traits like emotional stoicism, narrow self-identity, and reluctance to…
Postpartum depression is rising across the U.S., but for Black women, the crisis is deepening. Since 2010, the rate of postpartum depression among Black mothers has nearly tripled, reaching almost 25% by 2021. Yet, they remain 46% less likely to be screened and far less likely to receive treatment compared to white women.Kay Matthews knows this disparity firsthand. After the stillbirth of her daughter in 2013, she was released from the hospital with no support, no follow-up, and no acknowledgment of her trauma. “I got no pamphlets, no follow-up information, nothing,” she said. Her grief spiraled into postpartum depression, but…