Our A, B, C, D, and E: an analysis of the Black church through Black health

This research attempts to explain how Black churches are concerned with\ud African-American health. Into the twenty-first century, African-Americans still face\ud health disparities in what the Center of Disease Control considers to be the key health\ud indicators of populations. Causes for these disparities reflect institutional racism\ud through the unfavorable socioeconomic conditions, inadequate health care and\ud insurance, and disconnect between health research and the African-American\ud community.\ud Historically, Black churches have been influential in addressing the social\ud needs of African-Americans, as evident in the 1960's Civil Rights movement.\ud However, their work in health advocacy has rarely received the same attention.\ud Ethnographic data and interviews with members of a southern California Baptist\ud church, demonstrate the existence of a health network fostering health education and\ud social support for African-Americans. This health network is guided by the vision of\ud the church's pastor, who considers the church to be responsible for administering\ud health education and encouraging to those with health issues. Also, members share\ud their health experiences with others as a form of health education and social support.\ud Using the framework of critical race theory, internal colonial theory, and racial\ud formation theory, this research uses African-American health experiences to examine\ud the social structure of this Black church.\ud Keywords: African-American, health, church, ethnography, inequality, health\ud education, social suppor