An Analysis Of The Major Causes Of Lower Life Expectancy Of African Americans

The average life expectancy of Americans has been lower than that of most other developed countries,which is largely a result of the higher mortality of African Americans.And the lower life expectancy of African Americans is attributable to long-standing economic,racial and political inequalities that they suffer as well as some negative elements of their own culture.These deep-rooted problems have been more clearly exposed by the magnifier-like Covid-19 pandemic during which African Americans noticeably outnumber whites in terms of infection and death rates.Both history and reality have indicated that,if the widening gap between blacks and whites in all aspects is not properly addressed,African Americans will always bear much of the brunt when the US is hit by major disasters.To expound the above thesis,this paper analyzes factors contributing to the racial mortality gap with five chapters.The first four chapters focus on four major factors causing the lower life expectancy of African Americans from the perspectives of economy,culture,racism,and public health insurance respectively.And Chapter 5takes the Covid-19 crisis in the US as a typical example to further illustrate the impacts of these factors,briefly examining how they have made African Americans suffer more than other ethnic groups during the pandemic.