Deconstructing hegemonic epistemologies: An urgent call for anti-racist scholarship for health promotion and Black lives

Abstract

The year 2020, with its global pandemic, economic hardship, social isolation and violence has brought profound suffering, overdue learning and important opportunities. One such opportunity is the chance for the field of health promotion to unflinchingly commit to building and sustaining efforts to address the inequities so vividly illuminated by the COVID-19 pandemic—specifically, inequities experienced by Black communities. COVID-19 is taking a disproportionate toll on Black communities the world over. Cities, countries and regions tracking such data are reporting drastically higher rates of infection, complications and deaths. Black people’s experiences of higher prevalence and more severe outcomes due to COVID-19 are not unlike the overrepresentation, earlier onset and increased mortality rates experienced by Black people for a plethora of conditions (including diabetes, hypertension, HIV/AIDS and respiratory diseases).