The Science of Racism

"One clear example is the U.S. mortgage industry, where a recent Financial Times analysis of nearly 40 million mortgage applications between 2018 and 2023 found that Black applicants are more than twice as likely to be denied a mortgage compared to white applicants with similar financial profiles. Latino and Asian applicants also face elevated rejection rates, revealing persistent, systemic bias-even in the face of anti- discrimination laws."

"U.S. maternal health outcomes demonstrate another painful and persistent form of systemic racism. In 2024, experts identified a maternal mortality rate in the U.S. of 19 per 100,000 live births, far higher than in peer nations. Black women, however, are alarmingly overrepresented among these fatalities due to unequal access to maternity care, "maternity care deserts," reduced support through Medicaid amid sweeping cuts, and more."

Racism produces measurable disparities across institutions and outcomes, not just individual attitudes. A Financial Times analysis of nearly 40 million U.S. mortgage applications (2018–2023) found Black applicants are more than twice as likely to be denied mortgages than similarly qualified white applicants, while Latino and Asian applicants also face elevated rejection rates. U.S. maternal mortality sits at 19 per 100,000 live births in 2024, with Black women disproportionately affected due to unequal access to maternity care, maternity care deserts, Medicaid cuts, and reduced support. Effective racial justice requires long-term investment, structural policy change, and broad coalitions among human rights and scientific communities.

Read at Psychology Today