From birth to death, legacy of racism lays foundation for Black Americans' health disparities

From birth to death, Black Americans fare worse in measures of health compared to their white counterparts. They have higher rates of infant and maternal mortality, higher incidence of asthma during childhood, more difficulty treating mental health as teens, and greater rates of high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s disease and other illnesses.

The Associated Press spent the past year exploring how the legacy of racism in America has laid the foundation for the health inequities that Black people face.

Here’s a breakdown of each story of a five-part series:

• Report: Removing PFAS from Minnesota wastewater would cost billions
• Explainer: Minnesota's new paid family and medical leave program
• AI in medicine needs to be carefully deployed to counter bias – and not entrench it