Reuters
+Drugs | March 27, 2012

Blacks, Bias and Marijuana: Did Drug Stigma Contribute to Trayvon Martin’s Death?

By Maia Szalavitz

A news report claims that the 17-year-old Florida boy's killer thought he looked looked "drugged out and suspicious." Why enduring stigma of drug use in this country is becoming increasingly deadly.

+Addiction | November 7, 2011

Study: Whites More Likely to Abuse Drugs Than Blacks

By Maia Szalavitz
Getty Images

Black youth are arrested for drug crimes at a rate ten times higher than that of whites. But new research shows that young African Americans are actually less likely to use drugs and less likely to develop substance use disorders, compared to whites, Native Americans, Hispanics and people of mixed race.

+Asthma & Allergies | September 5, 2011

Why Black Children May Be More Likely to Develop Food Allergies

By Alice Park
Simon Smith / Getty Images

New research suggests that race and ancestry may play an important role in food allergies.

+Marriage | August 31, 2011

Is Marriage for White People?

By David Kaufman
health_whtmarriage_0831

Even with an African American couple in the White House, the fate of the black family in America has never been so precarious. That’s the message behind Is Marriage for White People?, a new book by Stanford Law professor Ralph Richard Banks.

+Culture | August 19, 2011

Viewpoint: Smoke a Joint, Lose Your Child?

By Maia Szalavitz
Daniel Arsenault / Getty Images

People caught with small amounts of marijuana in New York State are supposed to receive no more than a $100 fine, the equivalent of a traffic ticket. Instead, in New York City, many such people are being accused of child neglect, even if they are never charged with a drug-related violation. And some have even [...]

+Race | March 18, 2011

Belonging Matters: How Researchers Can Halve the Race Gap in GPA

By Maia Szalavitz
A woman who has just graduated from University. MR YES

The racial gap in achievement between African American and white college students has been stubbornly persistent, but an hour-long intervention conducted during students’ freshman year can halve the GPA lag by graduation time while simultaneously improving health, according to a new study published in Science.

Committed
Committed+Family | February 15, 2011

Should Race Play a Role in Custody Decisions?

By Belinda Luscombe
Brett & Natalie Kaffee/BuzzFoto/FilmMagic.com via Getty Images

Custody battles are an inflammatory business. Two people, already peeved enough with each other to dissolve their partnership, have to figure out who gets to look after the living, hugging product of that union. Throw in the combustible issue of race and you’ve got yourself a bonfire — like the one flaring up over Nahla, [...]

+Race | January 28, 2011

Racial Stereotyping Persists, Even After Death

By Samantha Rollins
Getty Images

When coroners fill out a death certificate, they must make note of the race of the deceased, but that can sometimes be a subjective call.

+Policy & Industry | January 13, 2011

Study: What Does Race Have to Do With Obesity Counseling?

By Meredith Melnick
Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Nobody has to be convinced that obesity is a problem — doctors have made it clear that excess weight leads to a host of health risks, and even raises the chance of early death compared to normal-weighted individuals.

+Race | December 16, 2010

Passing as Black: How Biracial Americans Choose Identity

By Meredith Melnick
Tara Moore / Getty Images

The practice of passing — identifying with and presenting oneself as one race while denying ancestry of another — reached its peak during the Jim Crow era. Needless to say, the notion of having to “pass” as white is outdated and offensive, but as sociologists Nikki Khanna and Cathryn Johnson report in a new study, [...]