#Roommates, it feels like now more than ever racism in this country is at an all-time high. Unfortunately, things have gotten so bad that pediatricians are now warning parents of the lasting effects that racism can have on their children.
As reported by @WashingtonPost, the current level of racism in America right now is trickling down to our children in a variety of “devastating” ways. In a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the current political and cultural atmosphere makes the process of ensuring children’s mental health and well-being more urgent and challenging.
Pediatrician Jackie Douge explained the direct correlation between the current political climate, social media and widespread news on children’s health:
“If you look at what’s in the news today, in social media, on Twitter, there’s so much kids are exposed to. As much as you want to keep it in the background, it’s not in the background. It’s having direct health effects on kids.”
Another doctor, Nia J. Heard-Garris, also agreed with the report—and specifically pointed to the current Trump administration:
“There was a time not too long ago under another president when I think we as a society were talking about living in a post-racial age. That’s changed pretty dramatically. It’s a new age of racism.”
Heard-Garris has extensively studied how vicarious racism inflicted upon a child’s parents can have extreme health consequences for the child. In a 2018 systematic review on racism and children’s health, she discovered that some of the more immediate health effects on children regarding racism included “increased likelihood of substance abuse and obesity.” Racism can also foster feelings of depression, hopelessness, anxiety and despair in children.
The latest report closes out its findings by describing racism as a “socially transmitted disease passed down through generations, leading to the inequities observed in our population today.”
As if you needed anymore evidence how toxic racism is…here you go.
Roommates, what are your thoughts on this study?
