'This Deadly Environmental Racism Must Change'
Congresswoman and asthma sufferer calls attention to serious problem for the Black community
An outspoken progressive congresswoman is shining a spotlight on a serious health issue within the Black community — one which rarely gets the attention that it should.
Calling it “environmental racism,” Rep Cori Bush posted on social media Sunday about the scourge of asthma among Black Americans, and Black youth, particularly.
“I am a Black Congresswoman with asthma - asthma made worse by police tear gas & growing up in toxic neighborhoods. Black children in St. Louis make 10x more visits to the emergency room for asthma than white children every year. This deadly environmental racism must change,” Bush tweeted.
Independent statistics back up Bush’s concern.
Non-Hispanic African Americans were 40 percent more likely to have asthma than non-Hispanic whites, in 2018. In 2019, non-Hispanic blacks were almost three times more likely to die from asthma related causes than the non-Hispanic white population.
This is according to data provided by the federal Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health.
Do you find this post of value?
Please consider supporting our work by joining our Patreon for as little as $5…