What does real power exchange look like in public health? – insights from the life and work of W.E.B. Du Bois

W. E. B. Du Bois was born in 1868 to free parents in Great Barrington Mass. In 1896 he accepted a job from the University of Pennsylvania to produce a social analysis of Blacks in Philadelphia's Seventh Ward. Published as "The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study" in 1899, it was the first “health disparities” study on Blacks in the United States. In this text, Du Bois outlined not only the differences in health and social conditions between races but the causes of those differences. He pointed to economic status, education, labor opportunities, living conditions and housing as some of the factors creating the health disparities he documented in turn-of-the-century Philadelphia – and by extension – other Northern American cities with a significant Black population.

After discussing Du Bois's findings and arguments, this talk will explore the contemporary implications of his work. Through years of neglect, tokenism and racism, many aspects of life for Blacks in urban America remain unchanged since the late 19th century, based on the same social determinants of health identified by Du Bois.

This leads us to the question "What does real power redistribution look like in public health?" Drawing from Dr. Reiland Rabaka's insights on Du Bois, we need conversations about decision-making at a community level, about token representation in our state and local public health offices and schools of public health, and about the price of speaking up and demanding significant, political change that will address the fundamental concerns that Du Bois raised in 1899.