In the United States Black Americans live sicker and die younger than any other ethnic group in the nation. Compared to their White counterparts, Black Americans are twice as likely to die of complications from diabetes, 65% more likely to die from prostate cancer, 48% more likely to die from breast cancer, and 50% more likely to have hypertension. There is a five-to-six-year life expectancy gap between Black and White Americans.

Why is this happening?The Skin You’re In docufilm series investigates this disturbing phenomenon from various angles. We identify the problem, explain the causes, and offer real solutions. Through discussions with leading health experts and researchers we bring light to the realities of the issue, and we highlight health problems firsthand in the everyday lives of Black families telling their stories. We meet extraordinary individuals who are indeed valued health experts — people taking positive action to heal their lives, their families, and their communities.

The Skin You’re In argues there are two key reasons for poorer health outcomes for Black Americans:

• The legacy of slavery: Racism rooted in America’s sociopolitical DNA set the European settlers and enslaved African newcomers to the “new world” on dramatically divergent paths for generations. After slavery’s end, ongoing legal segregation and racial terror cemented their divergent fates. Racism causes constant stress. Stress causes the human body to react with a fight, flight, or freeze response. No human, regardless of race, can thrive successfully long term while under constant stress.
• Racial segregation: The geographic separation of people based on race causes exposure to health hazards to differ among groups. For example, toxic waste sites are more likely to be in predominantly African American communities. Cigarettes and alcohol are more likely to be marketed to Black communities. And resources that support healthy lifestyles are less available in Black neighborhoods, such as full quality supermarkets, full-service restaurants, and physicians in private practice. Under such conditions poor health is inevitable.