Highways through historically redlined areas likely cause air pollution disparities today

Historically “redlined” areas – neighborhoods with primarily Black or immigrant communities – are exposed to more air pollution than other urban neighborhoods. According to research published in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology, the cause could relate to nearby highways or industrial parks.

SLU Study: Adolescents of Color With A Disability Experience More Racial Discrimination

Adolescents of color with a disability or special health care need (SHCN) were almost twice as likely to experience racial discrimination compared to peers of color without SHCNs, according to Saint Louis University research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

New research reveals historic migration’s link to present-day implicit racial bias

Roughly six million Black people moved away from the American South during the Great Migration between 1910 and 1970, hoping to escape racial violence and discrimination while pursuing economic and educational opportunities. Now, research has uncovered a link between this historic event with present-day inequalities and implicit biases.

Interracial relationships don’t always make people less racist

The landmark United States Supreme Court ruling in Loving v. Commonwealth of Virginia abolished bans on interracial marriage in the United States in 1967, but a new academic paper from Rice University and Texas A&M University said an uptick in interracial relationships since then has not ended discriminatory tendencies, even among individuals who are in these romantic partnerships.

Racial discrimination contributes to increases in alcohol craving to cope with racial stress

Alcohol craving is associated with relapse following alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment. A new study is the first to examine how distinct experiences of interpersonal racial discrimination contribute to elevated alcohol craving. Findings will be shared at the 46th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) in Bellevue, Washington.

Does racial resentment motivate confidence in false beliefs?

A new study in Social Science Quarterly found that racial resentment plays a strong role in leading Americans to express confidence in misinformed beliefs about policy issues associated with race or evaluated through racial lenses—such as human-caused climate change or the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic—but not on less racialized issues—such as the safety of childhood vaccines.

American Indian Teens Who Anticipate Future Affiliation with their Native Culture Experience Fewer Negative Consequences of Drinking

American Indian (AI) adolescents who expect to relate strongly to their racial culture in the future are less likely than their peers to experience negative alcohol outcomes – like fighting with friends, being arrested, and memory gaps – even if they do not relate strongly to their culture now, a new study suggests. Although AI communities overall have higher rates of abstention from alcohol than other racial groups, AI teens are particularly vulnerable to drinking and its negative consequences. This may be related to cultural identity, which is known to influence substance use.

1 in 2 Black adolescents faced online racial discrimination at least once in 2020: study

Against the backdrop of racial tensions across America in late 2020, online platforms became a place of discussion, discourse and even protest. Through this time period, Black adolescents experienced a different effect than their white peers; they more distinctly suffered mental health issues after being confronted with online racial discrimination, according to a University of Pittsburgh study.

How personality and genetics impact link between racial discrimination and problem drinking

A study published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence shows that the connection of racial discrimination to problem drinking differs based on personality traits. People who tend to act impulsively in response to negative experiences are more likely to report problematic alcohol use that is associated with racism. But, people who enjoy seeking out new experiences are less likely to report problematic alcohol use that is associated with racism. Though this personality trait is thought to be a common risk factor for alcohol use disorder, this study suggests that people with sensation-seeking personalities can better tolerate or cope with difficult situations such as racism.

Racial discrimination linked to drinking through mental health in Black college students

A new study from Arizona State University and Virginia Commonwealth University examined the pathways that contribute to and protect against alcohol use problems in Black American college students. Racial discrimination led to depressive symptoms and to problem alcohol consumption. Positive feelings about being a Black American were associated with a weaker link between discrimination, mental health and alcohol use. The study was published in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.

How conversations about race can help Black parents improve adolescents’ psychological outcomes

Black parents’ experiences of racial discrimination can negatively affect their children’s psychological outcomes—but talking about these experiences and improving racial socialization competency could help prevent these negative outcomes.
according to a new study by a University of Michigan researcher.

Study Aims to Break the Chains of Incarceration in African American Males

The majority of African American men return to prison within one to three years of their first release. A study explores why re-entry programs are not as effective for them when compared to others. Researchers suggest a holistic approach that addresses psychological and historical trauma in conjunction with the environmental factors that perpetuate the stigma justice-involved African American men experience. The approach accounts for negative associations developed in the centuries of oppression and segregation that shape their current societal interactions.

Lab Researcher and Physics Undergrad Shares Poster Project Honoring Black Physicists

Inspired by the nation’s grappling with issues of race and racial discrimination, UC Berkeley physics major and Berkeley Lab student assistant Ana Lyons turned to art as a way to contribute to the conversation.

Analysis of rates of police-related fatalities finds significant differences between Black and White people, and significant variation across metropolitan areas

A study analyzing and describing US police-involved fatalities across racial/ethnic groups at the level of individual metropolitan statistical areas publishes June 24, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, by Gabriel Schwartz and Jaquelyn Jahn from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Talking With Children About Race and Racism—an Age-by-Age Guide

Talking to children about racism can be daunting. How much should you discuss? How young is too young? What if you don’t have all the answers? Pediatrician and health policy researcher Ashaunta Anderson, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAP, is a Fellow with the American Academy of Pediatrics who has served as a member of organization’s Task Force on Addressing Bias and Discrimination. She says it’s never too early to talk to kids about race.

Story of jailed 17th-century Iberian “mulatto pilgrim” told in new book by John K. Moore Jr.

The book tells the story of a man jailed for impersonating a priest in 1693 Spain, when he was likely trying to escape racial persecution. It gives readers a fascinating look at a centuries-old legal case against a man on pilgrimage and shows how Iberians of black-African ancestry faced discrimination and mistreatment.