Jon L. Christensen: “As amazing as it is, the words of the distinguished African American scholar, Dr. W.E.B. Dubois, resound as loudly today…”

“As amazing as it is, the words of the distinguished African American scholar, Dr. W.E.B. Dubois, resound as loudly today as they did when he first wrote them more than 100 years ago. How appropriate and on target are his words as he remarks on the lack of health care for African American at that time and as we compare them to our situation today. I want to take the liberty, though, of focusing on his treatise on the ``Philadelphia Negro'' because in chapter 10 we see in his description a clear indictment of this Nation's health care system as it existed in the African American experience. One hundred years ago, and shamefully still today it has been bereft of both health and care. In short, while there have been some advances in the last 100 years, on the whole, nothing has changed. Several recent surveys, for example, clearly show that the general public even today thinks that health status and access to care is equal among all population groups. In this, we echo what Dubois wrote over 100 years ago that ``the fact of high death rates and other signs of neglect of the laws of physical health have not yet been apprehended by the general public,'' he wrote.”