Health Equity Benefits All Communities (Including White Ones)

Tags:
Early View Perspective
Topics:
Health Equity

Policy Points:

  • Despite the goal of “all communities thriving,” health equity–focused scientists and advocates have inadvertently made it easier for those “opposed to equity” to falsely convince many White communities that health equity–promoting policies and programs do not benefit them or their health.
  • At a time when policy proposals and executive orders are likely to have major and potentially unjust impacts on the health and well-being of US communities, including White communities, it is crucial that health equity–related definitions, measurement, framing, and community engagement efforts build narratives, messages, and relationships that allow more people to see themselves in the health-equity tent.

For more than 2 years, I have started my speaking engagements with a simple message: “Health equity benefits all communities.” Although the message may be straightforward, health equity–focused scientists and advocates like me have done an inadequate and ineffective job making that point clear and believable through stories, data, and messaging. We have left the window open for those whose values run perpendicular to ours to co-opt our words, twist our definitions, and build momentum against our goal of all communities having a genuine opportunity to thrive.


Citation:
Alberti PM. Health Equity Benefits All Communities (Including White Ones). Milbank Q. 2025;103(4):0731. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0009.70043