ABSTRACT
The complexities of ethnicity and race in health care in the United States are complicated by the historical exploitation and domination of marginalized racial groups. To that end, understanding the paradox of negotiating health and health care among populations of color, specifically Black and American Indians/Alaskan Natives (AI/AN) (Indigenous) people, means society must first be open and willing to accept structural oppression and inequality, often by those in critical White elite positions, as benchmarks for the current state of health disparities. This chapter draws on the health communication stories of Black and AI/AN scholars from multiple disciplines (communication, psychology, and sociology) to implore readers to recognize that people of color do not fit dominant culture paradigms and have always been located in the rhetoric of misrepresentation—underserved, marginalized, and vulnerable—which is part of the country’s historical fabric. Through the authors’ stories, this chapter encourages readers to see the common thread in health disparities and distinguish the historical trauma Black and AI/AN groups experience. The authors contend that modern culture cannot understand race and ethnicity and its implications for dynamic communication without understanding the intersectional nuances or racialized health constructs that impact how people of color view the health-care systems they interact with. Lastly, the authors acknowledge that “fixing communities” should not be precedent. Instead, partnerships and inclusive spaces must be created to address the importance of making policy shifts and dealing with problematic structural conditions.
