It is important to realize that for people of color in America life expectancy has always lagged behind that of whites. That is a tragic legacy of racism, affecting everything from infant and maternal health to victimization by violence. But as life expectancy fell by five years for white women without a high school diploma, and by three years for white men without a high school degree, life expectancy for African Americans without a high school diploma actually surpassed that of whites without a high school diploma.
