Ironic, isn’t it? White men and women, Hispanic men and women, and black men all took a hit, according a report last week by the Centers for Disease Control. The nation’s overall life expectancy declined for the first time since 1993.
Among the leading causes of death was a spike in heart disease related primarily to obesity and a sharp rise in drug overdoses and suicide associated with depression and hopelessness.
With black women being disproportionately overweight, overworked, overlooked and underpaid, you’d think they would be on the verge of extinction.
How the black woman managed to escape such a widespread decline in life expectancy borders on the miraculous. Not only did they hold on to an average life span of 78 years, other recent studies show that black women are also the most optimistic.
“What we are seeing is that the message about the importance of health is getting through to black women,” said Linda Goler Blount, president and chief executive of Black Women’s Health Imperative, a national health advocacy nonprofit based in the District. “The data show that the majority of us know that we need to improve and are working on it. We also understand the importance of having a positive attitude. When black women are asked to define what good health means, we say things such as ‘being calm’ or ‘being at peace.’ We don’t use diseases to define it. We don’t let a condition like obesity define who we are, even though we work on getting into shape.”A recent report by the Black Woman’s Health Imperative shows that black women tend to be less sedentary than other women.
“Whether it’s because of a lack of transportation or a determined effort to get exercise, black women tend to walk a lot,” Blount said. “We are on the move more than most.”
The
report, which is based on 20 years of research by Boston University,
also found that more black women are talking with their daughters,
nieces and granddaughters about the risks of unprotected sex. That and
other programs focusing on teenage girls have resulted in a dramatic
drop in teen pregnancy and infant mortality.
In
the Washington area, black women have started dozens if not scores of
neighborhood-based fitness groups and organizations that advocate
health. Churches, beauty shops and sororities are on the forefront of
these efforts.
“There has also
been the ‘Michelle Obama Effect,’ ” Blount said. “Her emphasis on
healthy eating and exercise during the past eight years has really paid
off. Black women are so inspired by her — her relationships with her
husband, children and mother. Black women are really trying to emulate
her.”
This is not to say that black women don’t have serious health issues. Breast
cancer still claims far more black lives than white ones. There are
gross disparities in medical treatment for black women and white women.
Blacks are more likely to live in areas without quality grocery stores
that offer a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.
“You
can come to Prince George’s County, one of the wealthiest black
counties in the country, and there are only two upscale, high-end
supermarkets,” says economist Rhonda Sharpe. “Why wouldn’t a store of
that caliber put down roots in a wealthy black community? Some folks
will call it systemic racism: Black money isn’t green enough.”
The
struggle for black women’s health continues. Black women are more
likely to become victims of violence than any other group of women. The
perpetrators are usually black men. Still, black women have been the
driving force behind the Black Lives Matter movement, whose primary
purpose is to stop police from killing innocent black men.
“The good news is that
black women are coming together to help each other,” Blount said. “We
are learning the importance of self-care. We have to take care of
ourselves first if we expect to help others.”
And
the outlook is good: Although white women still live on average three
years longer than black women, the gap is rapidly narrowing. Black women
are living longer and longer.
You can speculate on the reasons, but the results are nothing short of astounding.
