Health Inequity Exposé: The Rhetoric of Racism as a Public Health Crisis
by Riya Mehta | Xchanges 20.1/2, Spring 2026
Works Cited
American Public Health Association. Racism Is a Public Health Crisis. APHA, 2020, <https://www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/health-equity/racism-and-health/racism-declarations>.
Bailey, Zinzi D., Nancy Krieger, Madina Agénor, Jasmine Graves, Natalia Linos, and Mary T. Basset. “Structural Racism and Health Inequities in the USA: Evidence and Interventions.” The Lancet, vol. 389, no. 10077, 2017, pp. 1453-1463.
Braveman, Paula A., Elaine Arkin, Dwayne Proctor, Tina Kauh, and Nicole Holm. “Systemic and Structural Racism: Definitions, Examples, Health Damages, And Approaches to Dismantling.” Health Affairs vol. 41, no. 2, 2022, pp. 171-178. <https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01394>
Hardeman, Rachel R., Eduardo M. Medina, and Katy B. Kozhimannil. “Structural Racism and Supporting Black Lives — the Role of Health Professionals.” The New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 375, no. 22, 2016, pp. 2113–2115, <https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp1609535>
Hansen, Helena and Jonathan Metzl. “Structural Competency in the U.S. Healthcare Crisis: Putting Social and Policy Interventions into Clinical Practice.” Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, vol. 13, no. 2, 2016, pp. 179-83. <https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-016-9719-z>
Harris, Ricci, Donna Cormack, Andrew Waa, Richard Edwards, and James Stanley. “The Impact of Racism on Healthcare Use in New Zealand: A Prospective Cohort Study.” BMC Public Health, vol. 24, no. 136, 2024.
Hassen Nadha, Aisha Lofters, Sinit Michael, Amita Mall, Andrew D. Pinto, and Julia Rackal. “Implementing Anti-Racism Interventions in Healthcare Settings: A Scoping Review.” International Journal of Environmental Research Public Health, vol. 18, no. 2993. <https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18062993>
Heifferon, Barbara, and Stuart Cameron Brown, eds. Rhetoric of Healthcare: Essays Toward a New Disciplinary Inquiry. Hampton Press, 2008.
Holmes, Tamara E. “Home.” Tamara E. Holmes, <https://www.tamaraeholmes.com/>. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
“Toward a Cure: Cities Declare Racism a Public Health Crisis.” Yes Magazine, 2020. <https://www.yesmagazine.org/issue/black-lives/2020/08/26/racism-public-health-crisis>. Accessed 2026.
Kapadia, Farzana, and Luisa N Borrell. “Structural Racism and Health Inequities: Moving From Evidence to Action.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 113, no. S1, 2023, pp. S6-S9. <https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307174>
Karatekin, Canan, Bria Gresham, Andrew J. Barnes, Fredique Corcoran, Rachel Kritzik, and Susan M. Mason. “Re-politicizing the WHO’s Social Determinants of Health framework.” Health Promotion International, vol. 395, no. daae122, 2024. <https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daae122>
Kinkead, Joyce. “Analyzing Text and Discourse.” Researching Writing: An Introduction to Research Methods, Utah State University Press, 2016, pp. 204–253.
Marketing. “What Is Health Equity and Why Is It Important?” University of Providence, 23 Sept. 2025, <https://www.uprovidence.edu/about/news/health-equity/>
“May 25, 2020: Remembering When George Floyd’s Murder Ignited Milwaukee and the Nation Five Years Ago.” Milwaukee Independent, 20 Apr. 2025, www.milwaukeeindependent.com/articles/may-25-2020-remembering-george-floyds-murder-ignited-milwaukee-nation-five-years-ago/.
Melino, Katerina, Janet Rankin, Joanne Oslon, Jude Spiers, and Carla Hilario. “Rhetorics and Realities of Access in Community Mental Health Care.” Nursing Inquiry, vol. 32, no. 2, 2025, <https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.70014>
Melonçon, Lisa. “Define Medical Rhetoric?!?” Rhetoricians of Health and Medicine, 7 Dec. 2015, medicalrhetoric.com/define-medical-rhetoric/.
Mendez, Dara D., Jewel Scott, Linda Adodoadji, Christina Tova, Monica McNeil, and Mahima Sindhu. “Racism as Public Health Crisis: Assessment and Review of Municipal Declarations and Resolutions Across the United States.” Frontiers in Public Health, 2021, <http://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.686807>
Ramsoondar, Nusha, Alex Anawati, and Erin Cameron. “Racism as a Determinant of Health and Healthcare: Rapid Evidence Narrative from the SAFE for Health Institutions Project.” Canadian Family Physician, vol. 69, no. 9, 2023, pp. 594-598. <http://doi.org/10.46747/cfp.6909594>
Rapp, Christof. “Aristotle’s Rhetoric.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 15 Mar. 2022, plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-rhetoric/.
Stabile, Bonnie. “The Persisting Importance of Rhetoric and Equity in Health Policy and Outcomes.” World Medical & Health Policy, vol. 12, no. 2, 2020, pp. 86-89. <http://doi.org/10.1002/wmh3.344>
United States Government Accountability Office. Maternal Health: Outcomes Worsened and Disparities Persisted During the Pandemic. GAO-23-105871, U.S. Government Accountability Office, Oct. 2022.
Yazdannik, Ahmadreza, Alireza Yousefy, and Sepideh Mohammadi. “Discourse Analysis: A Useful Methodology for Health-Care System Researches.” Journal of Education and Health Promotion, vol. 6, 2017. <http://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_124_15>
Baligh R. Yehia, Angela Winegar, Richard Fogel, Mohamad Fakih, Allison Ottenbacher, Christine Jesser, Angelo Bufalino, Ren-Huai Huang, and Joseph Cacchione. “Associations of Race with COVID-19 Outcomes Among Hospitalized Adults in the U.S.” JAMA Network Open, vol. 3, no. 9, 2020. <http://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.18039>
YES! Media. “About YES! Media.” YES! Magazine, Positive Futures Network, <https://www.yesmagazine.org/about>. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
2021 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2021 Dec. ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE AND DISPARITIES IN ACCESS. Available from: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK578537/>