Though Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Law and other disciplines (e.g. Education) offers public health important insights, these approaches are poorly equipped to address many public health problems. Public Health Critical Race Praxis (PHCRP) tailors CRT for public health. It advances antiracism theory, methods and practice through the lens of health equity and challenges the field from within.
Overviews of Critical Race Theory in Public Health
Ford CL and Airhihenbuwa CO. Just What is Critical Race Theory and What’s It Doing in a Progressive Field like Public Health? Ethnicity & Disease 2018 Aug 9;(28)Suppl1:22-230.
Ford CL and Airhihenbuwa CO. Critical Race Theory, race equity and public health: Toward antiracism praxis. American Journal of Public Health 2010;100(Suppl 1):S30-S35.
Graham LF, Brown-Jeffy S, et al. (2011). Critical Race Theory as theoretical framework and analysis tool for population health research. Critical Public Health Journal, 21(1): 81-93.
Thomas SB, Quinn SC, Butler J, Fryer CS, Garza MA. Toward a fourth generation of disparities research to achieve health equity. Annual Review of Public Health 2011 32:399-416.
Key concepts and methods for empirical research
Ford CL and Airhihenbuwa CO. The Public Health Critical Race Methodology: Praxis for Antiracism Research. Social Science & Medicine 2010 71(8):1390-8.
Thrasher AD, Clay OJ, Ford CL, Stewart AL. Theory-guided selection of discrimination measures for racial/ethnic health disparities research among older adults. Journal of Aging and Health 2012 Sep;24(6):1018-43 PMID:22451527.
Ford CL and Harawa NT. A new conceptualization of ethnicity for social epidemiologic and health equity research. Social Science & Medicine 2010;71(2):251-8.
Ford CL, Whetten KD, Hall SA, Kaufman JS and Thrasher AD. Black sexuality, social construction, and research targeting “the Down Low” (“the DL”). Annals of Epidemiology 2007 Mar;17(3):209-216.
Selected empirical studies that use critical race approaches
Ford CL, Daniel M, Earp JL, Kaufman JS, Golin CE, Miller WC. Perceived everyday racism, residential segregation and HIV testing in an STD clinic sample. American Journal of Public Health 2009;99(Supp1):S137-S143.
Brown TN. Critical race theory speaks to the sociology of mental health: mental health problems produced by racial stratification. Journal of Health and Social Behavior. 2003 Sep;44(3):292-301.
Additional considerations
Ford CL. Public Health Critical Race Praxis: An introduction, an intervention, and three points for consideration. Wisconsin Law Review 2016 (3):477-491.
