Self-Reported Experiences of Racial Discrimination Among African Americans in Upstate New York

Abstract

Racial discrimination in the United States continues to adversely affect health outcomes to the detriment of African Americans. To assess the experiences of residents of a metropolitan community with high rates of racial health disparities in upstate New York, we conducted a survey to measure the primary reasons for discrimination and their experiences with daily and lifetime discrimination, reactions to these experiences, and coping mechanisms. Of the 739 individuals who completed the survey in 2012, 71.5% self-reported as Black or African American. This article focuses on the experiences of Blacks or African Americans, among whom 76.2% reported having experienced racial discrimination at some point in their life. Respondents with higher levels of education and higher income were more likely to report experiencing racial discrimination at work, while for those with a high school education or less it was on the street or public spaces. The burden of these experiences affected individuals by making life more difficult and interfering with a productive life. In light of the known impact of racial discrimination on individual and population health and well-being, it is crucial that efforts to address social and health disparities take into account the high rates of experiences of racism.