Black Folks Watch Out ! These Deadly Summer Heat Waves Are a Warning
By Jessica Washington Gueat Columnist
Complaining about the heat during the Summer time isn ’ t exactly a novel concept . But if it ’ s starting to feel like you ’ re having an unusually sweaty season , there ’ s a good chance it ’ s not just in your head . Because on July 4th , the world experienced the hottest day on record . Scorching heat waves this Summer continue to put tens of millions at risk throughout the United States .
Last week , heat advisories were issued in 15 states across the country , impacting roughly 100 million people . And the scorching temperatures are expected to continue to build . Exposure to extreme heat can be deadly and can result in heat stroke , heat exhaustion , and heat cramps within minutes .
Dangerous heat waves this summer are placing Black Americans at risk .
For Black Americans , rising temperatures are a particular cause for concern . In 2022 , the New York Department of Health released a report on heat-related mortality in New York City , and the findings were troubling . They found that Black New Yorkers were twice as likely to die from heat stress than white New Yorkers . The authors of the report attributed those differences to structural racism and economic inequality , such as access to proper air-conditioned housing .
This isn ’ t a New York City-specific problem . As Derrick Z . Jackson explained in a piece for The Root , Black Americans are significantly more likely to live in what ’ s known as “ heat islands ”:
“ According to a 2021 study of the nation ’ s 175 largest urban areas , people of color in the U . S . were more likely than white people to live on what are called ‘ heat islands .’ This is the modern term for the ; concrete jungle ,’ referring to parts of cities where the concentration of buildings , roofs , roads , sidewalks , and parking lots relentlessly absorb and radiate the sun ’ s heat . Such neighborhoods are often marked by a lack of trees , parks and ponds , creeks , and lakes that naturally cool and moisten the landscape .
“ Black people , according to the study of 175 cities , have the highest surface urban heat island exposure of any racial or ethnic group , with Hispanics coming in second . It is not an issue of poverty . The nation ’ s history of redlining and many other forms of housing discrimination in neighborhoods that white interests see as cooler — figuratively , and now , literally — have resulted in Black people being marooned on heat islands regardless of their income .”
As the world gets hotter due to climate change , things will only get worse . A Wilderness and Environmental Medicine Journal report found that from 2005 to 2015 , the rates of emergency department visits for heat-related causes increased by 67 percent for African Americans . Although there is federal money flowing into states to prepare communities for climate change , it ’ s essential that it ’ s used effectively . If not , Black Americans will continue to bear the brunt of this country ’ s impending climate crisis alongside other marginalized groups .