Thread on racial/ ethnic inequalities.

1/ Recent headlines in the UK & US show that institutionalised racism still exists, outside the context of COVID, directly related to COVID and, given the economic fallout & warnings of a ‘tsunami of hate’, likely as a result of COVID

2/ All racial inequalities are not equal. Recent events in the US are the tip of the iceberg of horrific and shameful experiences (in the UK as well) which show how disproportionate the impact is on the black community and why society has to ensure that #BlackLivesMatter

3/ Racial injustices range from the overt to the invisible ways that they manifest. Many, like myself and my family, who are lucky enough to have a range of other socio-economic privileges, nevertheless still experience isolated incidents of both sporadic & structural racism

4/ The ‘conversation’, usually multiple, that many including myself have had/ foresee needing to have with our children is for me, powerful evidence of how deep-rooted and intractable these issues are. I genuinely wonder how widely it’s recognised that we have these conversations

5/ The example of those from black & minority ethnic backgrounds suffering disproportionately from COVID highlights the complexity of factors responsible for these inequalities. For the vast majority, it’s the social, not genetic factors, that are the determinants of risk

6/ A recent email from @TheBMA
stated that 94% of doctors who have lost their lives from COVID have come from a BAME background. Underneath this shocking statistic we must ask who are those put at highest risk of exposure and why

7/ Within this discourse, is also the importance of language which I think we can all fall down on, I may have done in this thread. Personally I struggle with ‘BAME’ (acronym, it’s not a word) despite using it. I worry it sounds corporate & impersonal and at worst, dehumanising

8/8 As a person of colour & mum, yes these issues concern me. But ensuring inequalities are the focus of public health bothers me too. Headlines may focus on knife crime, COVID or any wellbeing topic but the goal of PH is to improve outcomes & reduce inequalities, irrespective