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Pediatricians Asked to Fight Impact of Racism on Child Health

BIRMINGHAM TIMES — The nation’s pediatricians are calling on members to help address the impact of racism on child and adolescent health. A recent American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement encourages pediatricians to advocate for policies that advance social justice. That’s a good idea, said several Birmingham-area doctors.

Published

6 years ago

September 13, 2019

Oakland Post

Dr. Courtney Burrell of Alabama Regional Medical Services. (Photo by: Erica Wright | The Birmingham Times)

By Erica Wright

The nation’s pediatricians are calling on members to help address the impact of racism on child and adolescent health.

A recent American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement encourages pediatricians to advocate for policies that advance social justice. That’s a good idea, said several Birmingham-area doctors.

“We can ask families how they’ve experienced racism and then ask the children if they know what racism is [or] if they themselves have been a victim of racism or witnessed racism,” said Courtney Burrell, MD, a pediatrician with the Alabama Regional Medical Services (ARMS) in Birmingham.

After speaking with patients, doctors can “offer support, whether it be counseling or … medication because they’ve developed depression or anxiety, so that [patients] can flourish and become healthy citizens,” Burrell added.

Tina Simpson, MD, an assistant professor at the Alabama Regional Medical Services (UAB) in the Department of Pediatrics who practices in the Adolescent Health Center at Children’s of Alabama, said pediatricians must be cognizant of the impacts of racism.

“For instance, if a child sees the killing of unarmed black men day in and day out, that causes an amount of chronic stress for black males themselves, as well as their families, in terms of trying to raise young black males,” she said. “That stressor may affect other things in terms of depression, anxiety, potentially acting out, self-esteem issues, and concerns around safety.”

Exposure to Racism

The AAP policy statement entitled, “Racism and Its Impact on Child and Adolescent Health”—the first time the group has explicitly focused on the issue of racism—draws from hundreds of studies to alert doctors about the impact of racism on children.

“While progress has been made toward racial equality, the impact of racism on communities of color is wide-reaching, systemic, and complex,” said Maria Trent, MD, lead author of the policy statement, in a recent press release. “A combination of strategies will be needed to begin untangling the thread of racism throughout the fabric of our society, and to improve the health of all children.

She also noted, “Racism affects children before they’re even born … and continues to affect them across their lifespan. It affects them in the places they live, the institutions they interact with, including schools and law enforcement.”

Burrell agreed that racism can affect children and families in a number of ways.

“If children witness an event [involving] racism against people that look like them or maybe don’t look like them, they may be fearful of … becoming victims and experiencing violence or backlash from others because they don’t look the same, [have] the same accent, or whatever the case may be. That can cause stress.”

She added that the effects of racism on children can lead to other health problems, including weight gain, high blood pressure, anxiety, alcohol and drug abuse, and depression.

Racial Disparities

Racial disparities are prevalent and can factor into a lot of the issues faced by children, said Jaime McKinney, MD, an assistant professor in the UAB Department of Pediatrics and a pediatric physician at Children’s of Alabama.

Dr. Jaime McKinney

“Access to resources and opportunities is huge amongst our children, [including] what ZIP code they happen to be zoned for,” she said. “We have a lot of patients who witness violence in their communities on a daily basis just because of where they live. We have kids who have no access to healthy foods in the areas in which they live [because there are few] grocery stores. … All of that is racially based.”

Social determinants, such as housing, income, and even environmental circumstances, all can play a part in the health of children, said McKinney: “Say, you live in [in a community] where there is a higher level of pollution, whether it’s the land or the air, and you have asthma. … Say, there are no grocery stores in that area … and a lot of the kids go to the gas station for their foods.”

Or, it can be as simple as having a park in the neighborhood where children can play or exercise; this can affect health, too.

“Whether it’s the food they eat, the amount of exercise they get, the quality of their education system, even the ability to see a doctor, all [of this] affects every aspect of their care,” McKinney said. “We see kids with toxic stress, environmental stress … that is pretty much based on their race, what they can afford, and where they live.”

Implicit Bias

The AAP report also indicated that doctors need to check their own implicit biases.

“I’ve caught myself feeling a little biased toward certain patients because I’m like, ‘I know this family’ or ‘This type of family is going to come in with 100 complaints.’ With a different family, [however], I might just be more open,” Burrell said. “I have to really catch myself, so I don’t let that show in my attitude toward the family and to make sure I deliver proper care.”

Simpson said all people, not just doctors, have biases.

“I think one of the first things in addressing our biases is to be aware of what they are and where they are, so we can slow down and fix it through being more thoughtful in our approach,” she said, adding that it is important “to be mindful of all of our encounters, to really try to listen to patients and understand where they’re coming from and where they are, so we can understand the perspective … and improve our encounters with patients and their families.”

McKinney believes medical professionals are doing a better job of addressing racial bias. For instance, the medical school at UAB is doing a good job in the admissions process and interacting with students, she said.

“They actually require us to conduct bias training and seminars about bias and prejudgment,” said McKinney. “I think the university is doing a great job at recognizing that we all have biases and [helping us] better address that and act

Dr. Tina Simpson

accordingly.”

Solutions

McKinney has made it her personal mission “to address educational inequities based on fundamental racism.”

She believes that fighting racism begins with education, and as an assistant professor at UAB she encourages her residents to tell parents the importance of reading to their babies. She also served on Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin’s birth to pre-K task force.

“[We] had a book fair, where people donated books to families with lead characters of color,” McKinney said. “I’ve [also] been working with the medical school to increase representation of [diverse] students in the medical school and beyond.”

Simpson agreed that a more diverse and inclusive workforce can help potentially eliminate racial bias.

“With a more diverse workforce, you’re more likely to not perpetuate policies that reinforce elements of racism,” she said. “[It’s important to] slow down and thoughtfully [consider] the history of why things may be happening because racism is so ingrained in our culture. … You have to be mindful about the whys.”

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

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Trump Set to Sign Largest Cut to Medicaid After a Marathon Protest Speech by Leader Jeffries

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The bill also represents the biggest cut in Medicare in history and is a threat to the health care coverage of over 15 million people. The spending in Trump’s signature legislation also opens the door to a second era of over-incarceration in the U.S.

Published

1 week ago

July 3, 2025

Oakland Post

By Lauren Burke

By a vote of 218 to 214, the GOP-controlled U.S. House passed President Trump’s massive budget and spending bill that will add $3.5 trillion to the national debt, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The bill also represents the biggest cut in Medicare in history and is a threat to the health care coverage of over 15 million people. The spending in Trump’s signature legislation also opens the door to a second era of over-incarceration in the U.S. With $175 billion allocated in spending for immigration enforcement, the money for more police officers eclipsed the 2026 budget for the U.S. Marines, which is $57 billion. Almost all of the policy focus from the Trump Administration has focused on deporting immigrants of color from Mexico and Haiti.

The vote occurred as members were pressed to complete their work before the arbitrary deadline of the July 4 holiday set by President Trump. It also occurred after Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries took the House floor for over 8 hours in protest. Leader Jeffries broke the record in the U.S. House for the longest floor speech in history on the House floor. The Senate passed the bill days before and was tied at 50-50, with Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski saying that, “my hope is that the House is gonna look at this and recognize that we’re not there yet.” There were no changes made to the Senate bill by the House. A series of overnight phone calls to Republicans voting against, not changes, was what won over enough Republicans to pass the legislation, even though it adds trillions to the debt. The Trump spending bill also cuts money to Pell grants.

“The Big Ugly Bill steals food out of the hands of starving children, steals medicine from the cabinets of cancer patients, and equips ICE with more funding and more weapons of war than the United States Marine Corps. Is there any question of who those agents will be going to war for, or who they will be going to war against? Beyond these sadistic provisions, Republicans just voted nearly unanimously to close urban and rural hospitals, cripple the child tax credit, and to top it all off, add $3.3 trillion to the ticking time bomb that is the federal deficit – all from a party that embarrassingly pretends to stand for fiscal responsibility and lowering costs,” wrote Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) in a statement on July 3.

“The Congressional Budget Office predicts that 17 million people will lose their health insurance, including over 322,000 Virginians. It will make college less affordable. Three million people will lose access to food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). And up to 16 million students could lose access to free school meals. The Republican bill does all of this to fund tax breaks for millionaires, billionaires, and corporations,” wrote Education and Workforce Committee ranking member Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) in a statement. The bill’s passage has prompted Democrats to start thinking about 2026 and the next election cycle. With the margins of victory in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate being so narrow, many are convinced that the balance of power and the question of millions being able to enjoy health care come down to only several thousand votes in congressional elections. But currently, Republicans controlled by the MAGA movement control all three branches of government. That reality was never made more stark and more clear than the last seven days of activity in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.

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WATCH: NNPA Publishers Pivot To Survive

7.2.25 via NBC 4 Washington

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July 3, 2025

Oakland Post

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Congressional Black Caucus Challenges Target on Diversity

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — we found that the explanations offered by the leadership of the Target Corporation fell woefully short of what our communities deserve and of the values of inclusion that Target once touted

Published

1 week ago

July 3, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

Target is grappling with worsening financial and reputational fallout as the national selective buying and public education program launched by the Black Press of America and other national and local leaders continues to erode the retailer’s sales and foot traffic. But a recent meeting that the retailer intended to keep quiet between CEO Brian Cornell and members of the Congressional Black Caucus Diversity Task Force was publicly reported after the Black Press discovered the session, and the CBC later put Target on blast.

“The Congressional Black Caucus met with the leadership of the Target Corporation on Capitol Hill to directly address deep concerns about the impact of the company’s unconscionable decision to end a number of its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts,” CBC Chair Yvette Clarke stated. “Like many of the coalition leaders and partner organizations that have chosen to boycott their stores across the country, we found that the explanations offered by the leadership of the Target Corporation fell woefully short of what our communities deserve and of the values of inclusion that Target once touted,” Congresswoman emphasized. “Black consumers contribute overwhelmingly to our economy and the Target Corporation’s bottom line. Our communities deserve to shop at businesses that publicly share our values without sacrificing our dignity. It is no longer acceptable to deliver promises to our communities in private without also demonstrating those values publicly.”

Lauren Burke, Capitol Hill correspondent for Black Press of America, was present when Target CEO Cornell and a contingent of Target officials arrived at the U.S. Capitol last month. “It’s always helpful to have meetings like this and get some candid feedback and continue to evolve our thinking,” Cornell told Burke as he exited the meeting. And walked down a long hallway in the Cannon House Office Building. “We look forward to follow-up conversations,” he stated. When asked if the issue of the ongoing boycott was discussed, Cornell’s response was, “That was not a big area of focus — we’re focused on running a great business each and every day. Take care of our teams. Take care of the guests who shop with us and do the right things in our communities.”

A national public education campaign on Target, spearheaded by Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the NNPA’s board of directors, and with other national African American leaders, has combined consumer education efforts with a call for selective buying. The NNPA is a trade association that represents the more than 220 African American-owned newspapers and media companies known as the Black Press of America, the voice of 50 million African Americans across the nation. The coalition has requested that Target restore and expand its stated commitment to do business with local community-owned businesses inclusive of the Black Press of America, and to significantly increase investment in Black-owned businesses and media, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU, Black-owned Banks, national Black Church denominations, and grassroots and local organizations committed to improving the quality of life of all Americans, and especially those from underserved communities. According to Target’s latest earnings report, net sales for the first quarter of 2025 fell 2.8 percent to $23.85 billion compared to the same period last year. Comparable store sales dropped 3.8 percent, and in-store foot traffic slid 5.7 percent.

Shares of Target have also struggled under the pressure. The company’s stock traded around $103.85 early Wednesday afternoon, down significantly from roughly $145 before the controversy escalated. Analysts note that Target has lost more than $12 billion in market value since the beginning of the year. “We will continue to inform and to mobilize Black consumers in every state in the United States,” Chavis said. “Target today has a profound opportunity to respond with respect and restorative commitment.”