Yesterday, the YWCA Health Access Department’s five programs (BABES Network, Community Mental Health, Health Care Access, Healthy Birth Outcomes, and Women’s Health Outreach) got together for an all-day retreat. We spent some time catching up with the other programs in our department, sharing our appreciation for each other, and learning some new technology tips.

We also spent some time talking about racism and white privilege, particularly in the realm of health and health care. And during this conversation, we watched a clip from Unnatural Causes. In case you aren’t familiar with Unnatural Causes: it is a PBS video series that “uncovers startling new findings that suggest there is much more to our health than bad habits, health care, or unlucky genes. The social circumstances in which we are born, live, and work can actually get under our skin and disrupt our physiology as much as germs and viruses.” The clip that we watched talked about the impact of racism on women’s bodies – the bodies of women of color in particular – and the impact of racism on birth outcomes.

To learn more, watch the video below.

If you’re intrigued and want to learn more about health disparities and the impact of racism on other areas of health and our bodies, I hope you’ll watch the full DVD. See if your local library has a copy!