People think economic status is the reason for health disparities, but research points to race as the larger factor. Deaths are linked to institutional racism and the racial bias and stereotyping among medical professionals, who tend to dismiss the concerns of people of color. Black people and other racial minorities receive less accurate diagnoses, less pain management, and fewer treatment options, resulting in higher death rates, notably in heart disease, cancer, and maternal mortality. I worried that if I told the hospital staff I was having pain, they wouldn’t believe me.
