Mortality Patterns in the Southern Black Belt: Regional and Racial Comparisons

W. E. B. Du Bois coined the term The Black Belt to indicate an area of extreme structural inequality. The Southern Black Belt is a set of U.S. counties with proportionately high African American populations and the Plantation South's social legacy. Previous research revealed the region's...

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Main Author: Dale W. Wimberley
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: North Carolina Sociological Association 2008-10-01
Series:Sociation Today
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.ncsociology.org/sociationtoday/v62/wimber.htm
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author Dale W. Wimberley
author_facet Dale W. Wimberley
author_sort Dale W. Wimberley
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description W. E. B. Du Bois coined the term The Black Belt to indicate an area of extreme structural inequality. The Southern Black Belt is a set of U.S. counties with proportionately high African American populations and the Plantation South's social legacy. Previous research revealed the region's serious socioeconomic disadvantages. This article presents the first comprehensive analysis of Black Belt mortality. Both Blacks and Whites in the Black Belt experience substantially worse infant mortality and shorter life expectancy compared to their counterparts in the rest of the South and the rest of the U.S. The study also examines the region's leading causes of death and cause-specific "excess" deaths by race, and considers the findings' policy implications.
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spelling doaj.art-606fa9df240443e99cc63b4f576362952022-12-21T23:34:46ZengNorth Carolina Sociological AssociationSociation Today1542-63002008-10-0162Mortality Patterns in the Southern Black Belt: Regional and Racial ComparisonsDale W. WimberleyW. E. B. Du Bois coined the term The Black Belt to indicate an area of extreme structural inequality. The Southern Black Belt is a set of U.S. counties with proportionately high African American populations and the Plantation South's social legacy. Previous research revealed the region's serious socioeconomic disadvantages. This article presents the first comprehensive analysis of Black Belt mortality. Both Blacks and Whites in the Black Belt experience substantially worse infant mortality and shorter life expectancy compared to their counterparts in the rest of the South and the rest of the U.S. The study also examines the region's leading causes of death and cause-specific "excess" deaths by race, and considers the findings' policy implications.http://www.ncsociology.org/sociationtoday/v62/wimber.htmmortality ratesdifferential mortalityinfant mortalitylife expectancysouthern black beltDu Bois
spellingShingle Dale W. Wimberley
Mortality Patterns in the Southern Black Belt: Regional and Racial Comparisons
Sociation Today
mortality rates
differential mortality
infant mortality
life expectancy
southern black belt
Du Bois
title Mortality Patterns in the Southern Black Belt: Regional and Racial Comparisons
title_full Mortality Patterns in the Southern Black Belt: Regional and Racial Comparisons
title_fullStr Mortality Patterns in the Southern Black Belt: Regional and Racial Comparisons
title_full_unstemmed Mortality Patterns in the Southern Black Belt: Regional and Racial Comparisons
title_short Mortality Patterns in the Southern Black Belt: Regional and Racial Comparisons
title_sort mortality patterns in the southern black belt regional and racial comparisons
topic mortality rates
differential mortality
infant mortality
life expectancy
southern black belt
Du Bois
url http://www.ncsociology.org/sociationtoday/v62/wimber.htm
work_keys_str_mv AT dalewwimberley mortalitypatternsinthesouthernblackbeltregionalandracialcomparisons