New Reports Show that Place Matters for Health of Young Men of Color (posted 8/11)

Five new reports, funded by The California Endowment, collectively show that place matters when it comes to the health and mental health of African-American and Latino boys and young men. Negative health outcomes for boys and young men of color are a result of growing up in neighborhoods of concentrated disadvantage - places that are more likely to put boys and young men directly in harm's way and reinforce harmful behavior. Each of these reports highlight specific challenges to the health of boys and young men of color and provide recommendations for improving their health outcomes. For more information click here.

• Healthy Communities Matter: The Importance of Place to the Health of Boys of Color

This executive summary combines the collective research efforts of the RAND Corporation, PolicyLink, The Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School and the Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice Drexel University’s School of Public Health and the Department of Emergency Medicine at Drexel University. It highlights how the neighborhoods where African-American and Latino boys and young men grow up directly influence their health outcomes, and points to the need for comprehensive, systems-based policy solutions implemented at the community level.

• Reparable Harm: Assessing and Addressing Disparities Faced by Boys and Men of Color in California

Looking at the data available on boys and young men of color, The RAND Corporation analyzed four broad areas associated with the health outcomes facing boys and men of color. Using a "social determinants" of health frame, they found that the odds for boys and men of color are far worse than they are for white boys and men across all of the areas examined. Using this same "social determinants" frame, they also point to recommendations that can begin to address these disparities.

• Building Equalizing Schools within Inclusive Communities: Strategies that Redirect the School to Prison Pipeline in the Classroom and Beyond

Drawing on the most robust research available, the Houston Institute examined how neighborhoods where African-American and Latino children live, and the schools they attend, directly contribute to the poor health outcomes they experience. The report also offers specific recommendations and highlights promising remedies that align with their analysis.

• Healing the Hurt: Trauma-Informed Approaches to the Health of Boys and Young Men of Color

After analyzing the role of trauma in the lives of Latino and African-American boys and young men, Drexel University outlines how a trauma-informed approach to the issues these young men and boys face can improve their health. They discovered that not only is trauma seldom explored by the systems assigned to help African-American and Latino boys and young men, but that these institutions often take a punitive approach to these traumatized boys precisely when they need them the most.

• The Promise of a Healthy California: Overcoming the Barriers for Men and Boys of Color 

PolicyLink assessed the context of California's systemic failures when it comes to the health of young men and boys of color. They examined the process to develop public will for change and the need for place-based solutions. Finally, their report highlights successful practices and makes recommendations for policy change and interventions.

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