African Americans pay a physical price for discrimination stress
Stress for Success
February 20, 2006

Imagine yourself frequently:
۰ being followed by store employees who suspect you of stealing
۰ hailing cabs that don’t stop for you but pick up someone nearby
۰ being excluded at work
۰ having whites not looking you in the eyes, as is the case for too many young black males

If these things happened infrequently they’d be minor irritations. But what if you experienced these and other assaults daily? Would it eventually take a toll on you emotionally and physically?

If frequent enough, they’d certainly qualify in my book as chronic stress, which I've written about many times over the years as damaging to your health.

February is Black History Month and I encourage you to consider the daily psychological affronts that many if not most African Americans encounter especially in their public lives of working and shopping. I know that if I were the target I’d explode with rage.

I speak from experience. For 2½ years in the early ‘70s I was on the receiving end of daily harassment on the streets of Colombia where I was a Peace Corps volunteer. Daily on the streets literal throngs of men "harassed" me, (although from a Colombian’s perspective it was expected social behavior) through blown kisses, butt pinches and flirtatious words whispered so closely I could feel the man’s breath on my neck.

I found this “flirting” dehumanizing and degrading. (In their defense however, one Colombian man said he’d never get a date if he didn't act this way. He advised me to quit taking it personally, which I largely learned to do.) To keep my sanity, though, I ignored most of these encounters only occasionally fighting back in ways that allowed me to have some fun (don’t ask).

A life-time of these insults, however, takes a much greater toll on African-Americans than did my brief experiences and partly explains why, when compared to all other racial/ethnic groups in America, blacks have the highest incidence of:
§ Diabetes
§ Cardio-vascular heart disease
§ Hypertension and stroke

“This is not to say that every African American has poor health,” said researcher Vickie Mays, UCLA professor of psychology and health services. “However, African Americans – as a group – have not been able to gain as much ground (in health improvement) as other ethnic groups.”

When faced with high levels of stress some African-Americans may experience an “allostatic load", the cumulative wear and tear of stress on the body. When the stress to the cardiovascular system is prolonged and excessive to the point of allostasis, the immune system is suppressed, blood pressure increases and, over time, atherosclerosis can develop, resulting in coronary vascular disease. Chronic stress response is also associated with other diseases and obesity. (For more information go to www.MinorityHealthDisparities.org.)

How stressed would you be if daily you were the target of similar insults? Do you avoid eye contact with young African-American males or exclude black co-workers? If so, once aware, maybe you’ll start having more eye contact, including your black colleagues more often and even stop assuming that the color of skin determines a person’s honesty. It’s a start.

Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com or call 239-693-8111 for information about her workshops on this and other topics or to invite her to speak to your organization.