Implications of racial and ethnic relations for health and well-being in new Latino communities: A case study of West Columbia, South Carolina

Abstract

In this community-based research, we reveal social processes contributing to health inequities among the resident Latino population – predominantly new immigrants – in a working-class, urban community with an historical, social and political landscape defined by a Black–White social divide and its attendant racial tensions. Using the social determinants of health framework, we identify both macro- and micro-level structures and processes that threaten the health and well-being of individual Latinos and the broader communities where they live and work: discrimination, social isolation, communication barriers, host community residents’ fear of immigrants, and racial/ethnic competition for work, housing, and educational and social resources.