Systemic Racism and Health Disparities
Systemic racism is a structure or institution that has racism inherent in how it operates. The American Academy of Family Physicians(AAFP) recognizes that racism is a system that categorizes people based on race, color, ethnicity and culture to differentially allocate societal goods and resources in a way that unfairly disadvantages some, while without merit, rewards others. As a system, racism has been institutionalized in a way that permits the establishment of patterns, procedures, practices and policies within organizations that consistently penalizes and exploits people because of their race, color, culture or ethnic origin.
Structural racism is not something that a few people or institutions choose to practice. Instead it has been a feature of the social, economic and political systems in which we all exist. Granny midwives thrived as a source of maternal health care because very few African American women in Mississippi had access to hospitals or physicians.
Mississippi has a rich history of midwives and midwife attended home births. According to Mississippi Women: Their Histories, Their Lives, "as late as 1947, 58% of Mississippi babies were born at home."
In Mississippi in 1921, there were 5,000, registered granny midwives; in 1941, roughly 3,000; in 1961, barely 1,000; in 1980, there were 20 and in 1985 only one granny midwife was listed as still practicing with a state-issued permit (Valerie Lee,Granny Midwives and Black Women Writers: Double-Dutched Readings. page 7).
"The more we are aware of it the more our future generations can eliminate it. If the grandparent can share the story with the grandchildren it will help with systemic racism".
- Dr. Alferdteen Harrison