By Stacy M. Brown, BlackPressUSA.com, Senior National Correspondent
A sweeping new analysis of U.S. mortality data over the past 70 years reveals that Black children in the United States have consistently faced significantly higher mortality rates than their white peers, with no improvement in relative disparities since the 1950s. The study, published March 25 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, documents more than half a million avoidable infant deaths and nearly 690,000 childhood deaths among Black Americans between 1950 and 2019. Conducted by researchers from Harvard, Yale, and other institutions, the study found that while life expectancy and overall mortality rates have improved for both Black and white Americans, the mortality gap among infants and children has widened. In the 1950s, Black infants died at a rate of 5,181 per 100,000 compared to 2,703 per 100,000 among white infants—an excess mortality ratio of 1.92. By the 2010s, the rate had declined to 1,073 per 100,000 for Black infants and 499 per 100,000 for white infants, yet the disparity grew to a mortality ratio of 2.15. “These trends show a disturbing persistence of racial inequities in childhood survival,” the authors wrote. “Despite medical advancements and public health initiatives, Black children in the U.S. are still twice as likely to die before adulthood as their white counterparts.”
Over the seven-decade span, the study estimated 5.02 million excess deaths and 173.6 million years of life lost among Black Americans that would not have occurred if their mortality rates matched those of white Americans. Children under 20 accounted for 13.7% of these deaths, with infants representing 10.4%. The leading causes of excess deaths varied by age. Among children under five, perinatal conditions were the primary cause, while external causes such as homicides and accidents dominated among those aged 5 to 19. For adults, circulatory system diseases contributed the most to the mortality gap. The study emphasized that these disparities are rooted in a long history of systemic racism and structural inequities. Factors such as housing segregation, unequal access to health care, and socioeconomic disadvantages have all played a role. Today, Donald Trump’s presidency has brought a wave of executive actions, judicial appointments, and public rhetoric that emboldened racist systems and undermined civil rights protections. From ending consent decrees with police departments to attempting to ban diversity training in federal agencies, Trump’s actions have intensified the already disproportionate suffering of Black Americans.
Civil rights leaders had warned of this dangerous second term—one where Project 2025 and other radical policy blueprints have further dismantled protections for marginalized communities, including Black children. Even before this moment, Black America has endured the weight of systemic racism, beginning with centuries of enslavement and extending through segregation, redlining, police brutality, environmental racism, and inequitable access to health care. Meanwhile, the new study identifies the long-standing effects of these forces—including discriminatory housing policies, employment, and criminal justice inequities, and biased medical care—as primary drivers of the mortality gap. “Being Black in the United States remains associated with less wealth, lower income, and diminished access to health services,” the researchers noted. “These conditions directly impact health outcomes and mortality risk, especially among children.”
Although Black life expectancy has risen from 60.5 years in the 1950s to 76.0 in the 2010s—surpassing the 13% gain seen among white Americans—the lost years of life remain staggering. In the 2010s alone, Black Americans lost 20.6 million years of life due to higher death rates. The study calls for urgent policy interventions to address these disparities, including expanded access to quality health care, targeted public health initiatives, and structural reforms to reduce socioeconomic inequities. The authors also advocate for greater healthcare quality outcomes and data reporting transparency. “Nearly 690,000 Black children who died since 1950 could have survived if given the same chance as white children,” the researchers concluded. “That reality should be a call to action for this nation.” The study did not examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which researchers noted has likely exacerbated existing disparities. They indicated that more recent data may reveal even greater gaps in health outcomes. “Until the structural causes of these inequities are addressed,” they wrote, “Black children in America will continue to face unjust risks to their lives.”
