Black Representation Research Articles

Diversity in modern heart failure trials: Where are we, and where are we going

Over the last three decades, increased attention has been given to the representation of historically underrepresented groups within the landscape of pivotal clinical trials. However, recent events (i.e., coronavirus pandemic) have laid bare the potential continuation of historic inequities in available clinical trials and studies aimed at the care of broad patient populations. Anecdotally, cardiovascular disease (CVD) has not been immune to these disparities. Within this review, we examine and discuss recent landmark CVD trials, with a specific focus on the representation of Blacks within several critically foundational heart failure clinical trials tied to contemporary treatment strategies and drug approvals. We also discuss solutions for inequities within the landscape of cardiovascular trials. Building a more diverse clinical trial workforce coupled with intentional efforts to increase clinical trial diversity will advance equity in cardiovascular care.

From Religious Eulogy to War Anthem

Abstract This article looks to two songs, “Layla Said” and “Mammad, You Weren't There to See,” to examine the politics of representation, race, religion, and nationalism in late twentieth-century Iran. “Layla Said,” a religious eulogy sung by Jahanbakhsh Kurdizadeh, would serve as inspiration for the most popular song of the Iran-Iraq War (1980–88) in terms of melody, rhythm, and lyrics. Kurdizadeh, a visibly Black Iranian, is not popularly remembered as the source of the eulogy, an omission that compounds many of the politics of Black representation in Iran. Through an investigation of film, aural recordings, photographs, and more, this article follows the many mutations of the eulogy-turned-anthem to identify the various ways ethnography and documentary works frame blackness in Iran. Kurdizadeh's life and marginalized legacy highlights the tacit erasure of blackness on the national stage in Iran.

“Is my University White?” Exploring the role and influence of a University’s Culture on the experiences of Black Undergraduate Students in the UK

Abstract This paper explores the long-standing attainment gap between Black male students relative to other student populations, within Higher Education Institutions in the United Kingdom. This paper attempts to develop a contextual understanding of the parallel relationship between the social and academic culture at universities in the UK, as well as identifies the barriers which affect Black male students’ academic engagement. The purpose of this study is to answer the questions, “What is the Black male student experience at one university in the UK?” and “Which attitudes and practices at this university promote diversity and inclusivity and which hinder this?” The research was conducted via interview to gain a better understanding and acknowledgement of the multiple truths grounding this subject matter (Jones, 2015). The main participants were four Black male undergraduate home students, and four White academic staff members, at a University in the United Kingdom. This paper concludes by recognising that the meanings and attitudes attached to the attainment gap vary significantly. The key recommendations identified were the importance of raising Black representation within the staff, as well as developing a racially conscious atmosphere, in order to develop a sense of inclusion and belonging within the Black male student population.

Aping Blackness: Reading and Evaluating Racialized Images in Cartagena, Colombia

Why are residents of a city racialized as Black overwhelmingly in favor of representations of Blackness that caricature Afro-descendants as subservient, hypersexual and licentious, jovial, uninhibited and libertine, primitive (folklorized), and violent? This article bridges the literatures on the sociology of culture and cognition, racial signification, and frame theory to explore the various sociomental lenses and schemata that people use to perceive racial symbols and evaluate their legitimacy. It uses semi-structured and open-ended photo-elicitation interviews, primarily with residents of a largely-Afro-descendant community in Cartagena, Colombia, to systematically generate a collection of readings and evaluations of racialized imagery, resulting in an empirical example of the socio-optical construction of race within the Colombian cultural context. These readings and evaluations of external cultural primers such as photographs of racialized performance and ritual reveal (1) how a Colombian Atlantic Coastal “optical community” connects the signifiers and signifieds of Blackness; (2) that racial frames evoke three primary schemas (personal, spatiotemporal, and explicitly ideological), which interpreters use to decode and evaluate images; (3) that interpreters read the racial frames transmitted by cultural producers (e.g., performance artists and festival goers) via the visual language of racialized imagery as collectively credible and/or personally salient, and that this visual resonance is how the racialized imagery gain legitimacy and; (4) that personal experience, cultural knowledge, and social location account for variations in whether people consider racialized imagery credible and salient and, as such, legitimate forms of recognition.

Abstract 10887: The Under-Representation of Blacks, Females and Elderly in Randomized Controlled Trials of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials and Observational Studies

Introduction: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is particularly prevalent in Blacks, women and elderly. Paradoxically, these patients are generally under-represented in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We aim to compare the representation of Blacks, females and elderly in RCTs and observational studies of HFpEF therapies. Our secondary objective was to evaluate the secular trends of enrollment of these populations in the RCTs of HFpEF. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive database search of PubMed and EMBASE to identify HFpEF RCTs and HFpEF observational studies. Two independent readers extracted data on the proportions of Blacks, females and the mean age of patients enrolled in these studies. We compared the weighted means of age, proportions of blacks and proportions of females in the RCTs to those of observational studies. We divided the RCTs in three groups (enrollment prior to 2010, 2010-2015 and 2015 to 2020). Finally, we ascertained the secular trend of enrollment of Blacks, females and mean age of patients in the RCTs. Results: Our search yielded 17 RCTs and 9 observational studies. The trials included a total of 19,432 patients. There were marked under-enrollment of Blacks and females in the RCTs compared to the observational studies (Table 1). Furthermore, the weighted mean age of patients with HFpEF was also lower than that in the observational studies. From 1997-2020, the enrollment of females and elderly have increased, however, the enrollment of Blacks remained low in the RCTs of HFpEF. Conclusions: Blacks, women and elderly remain underrepresented in RCTs of HFpEF. Future RCTs of HFpEF should aim to enroll more Blacks, females and elderly so that the benefits of novel therapies can be validated in these special populations with high prevalence of HFpEF.

‘The Blackest Disney Movie of All Time!’: A Goofy Movie and the Production of ‘Film Blackness’

Disney films have a distinct way of always feeling in-time, a sensation the company understands and monetizes. A Goofy Movie (AGM) was released in 1995, and since its theatrical release, the film has continued to capture the hearts and minds of a cult audience of passionate fans. Among this array of fans is a core of Black millenials who hold the film in high regard due to its R&B soundtrack and relatable narrative. However, the moments of Black representation within the film are less interesting than how a Black reading becomes possible. What are the component parts of the film’s making when arranged in such a way that invokes an essential Black lifeworld? AGM affixes Blackness to its form not through any profound representation of race. Rather, considering its animators as technical performers, the dark history behind the American cartoon, and how Black music is used to not just make Blackness known but believable instantiate what Michael Gillespie terms, ‘film Blackness’ in Film Blackness: American Cinema and the Idea of Black Film (2016).

Community Medicine as Racial Justice

Abstract Tenisha Dandridge is a cofounder and the current president of the Black Acupuncturist Association (US). She advocates using Chinese medicine and acupuncture to address the racial health disparities afflicting African Americans. In June 2020 an editor of Asian Medicine interviewed her about her career and medical activism. The main themes of the interview include: how racial bias results in disproportionately high rates of morbidity and mortality among African Americans; how the theories and therapies of Chinese medicine are well suited for addressing the psychophysiological harms caused by racial discrimination; why it is important to increase Black representation in the acupuncture profession; and how community-based modes of healing can expand African Americans’ interest in, access to, and utilization of acupuncture and ear seed acupressure.

Corporate Colonization of Blackness – The Representation of Blackness in the National Basketball Association from 1984 to 2005

In light of current social justice dynamics, this article examines marketing strategies employed by the NBA (and associated companies) to sell predominantly Black athletes to a chiefly White audience. Through historical contextualization and critical analysis, the NBA’s development from a non-profitable and scorned circus to a multi-faceted and multi-billion-dollar global attraction is explored. From the earliest league structures until the 1980s, a dichotomy between Black and White players (and the values/stigma they embodied) dominated the sport of Basketball. This however changed with the rise of Michael Jordan to fame. Jordan became the first basketball player who transcended these racial lines in terms of associated values and/or stigmas. Simultaneously, His Airness’ rise to global fame let the NBA’s popularity soared into astronomical spheres. A shiny Black Superhero was born, yet his public image is predominantly inspired by corporate considerations – a case of corporate colonization of Black bodies. Black players’ transgressions and the NBA’s reactions to those – as happened in the Malice in the Palace (2005) incident – highlight the conflicting lines along which the NBA constructs and presents its players with a clear tendency towards corporate colonization, a concept which will be outlined in the paper. Through critical historical reading of past corporate efforts, this article re- and deconstructs the strategic illustration of Black athletes.

Quantifying the Pipeline of Ethnically Underrepresented in Medicine Physicians in Academic Plastic Surgery Leadership.

The lack of underrepresented in medicine (UIM) physicians in academic plastic surgery is emerging as a critical issue. Lack of diversity has a negative effect on patient care and on the culture of our health care system. This study reports the current status of ethnically UIM physicians in the plastic surgery pipeline, starting from the medical student level and progressing to national leadership positions. The Electronic Residency Applications Service, National Resident Matching Program, Association of American Medical Colleges, and professional Web sites for journals and national societies were accessed for racial demographic information from 2008 to 2019. Over the past decade, there has been no change or a slight decrease in representation of Blacks among plastic surgery residency applicants, trainees, and academic faculty, at half or less than expected, compared with US Census data. The first point of drop-off occurs at the resident (3.8% of integrated and 5.6% of independent residents) to faculty level (<2.8%). Two percent of program directors and department heads/division chiefs are Black. The next point of drop-off occurs at the national level: there has never been a Black president of American Society of Plastic Surgeons or Plastic Surgery Foundation, and there are no Black editors-in-chiefs of major plastic surgery journals.Following LatinX American surgeons down the pipeline over the past decade, there has been no change or a decrease in representation among plastic surgery residency applicants, resident physicians, and academic faculty, at one-third or less than expected, compared with US Census data. The first point of drop-off occurs at the faculty (4.8%) to local leadership level (0% of program directors and department heads/division chiefs) where there is no representation of LatinX. Once this drop-off occurs, there is no recovery at the national leadership level. In order for our profession to reflect our nation's demographics, academic plastic surgery is in need of a paradigm shift now. Attrition of UIM physicians in plastic surgery begins at medical school graduation and persists through surgical training, faculty appointments, and attainment of leadership positions. Creative and innovative commitment to diversity and inclusion is necessary.

(Re)Making the Folk: Black Representation and the Folk in Early American Folklore Studies

Abstract This article details the origins of American folklore studies by examining how “the folk” were repeatedly equated to Black Americans and how folklore was used as a measure of African Americans’ post-emancipation “progress.” Attending to discussions of Black representation in the late nineteenth century, I explore how (1) African Americans were positioned as the folk and (2) how African Americans (re)positioned themselves in discourses of “Blackness” and “folkness.”

Rewriting the Grand Siècle: Blackface in Early Modern France and the Historiography of Race

AbstractThis essay critiques the French cultural aversion to racial thinking which has resulted in the absence of race as a theme and analytic in French historiographic practices, especially in relation to the ancien régime. This essay argues that focusing on 17th century theater and performance culture, especially on baroque ballets and their oblique representations of Blackness and slavery through blackface, reveals a long national history of racism against Black people. This essay is a call to rewrite as an age of race‐making a period often construed as a cultural and literary golden age that still plays a central role in definitions of French heritage and identity today.

Moving toward health equity: A journey

Moving toward health equity: A journey

An unexpected journey through sound

Growing up in Detroit in the 1980s, I never envisioned a career in acoustics…not because I was told I could not but because I wasn’t told I could. I did not learn about the academic and professional opportunities in biomedical ultrasound until halfway through my undergraduate program. But as a doctoral student, the lack of Black representation in acoustics raised many doubts and fears…doubts in my own abilities and fears that the acoustic community would not accept me. I was embraced by members of the ASA, which empowered me to take the road less traveled. I am here today to share how this unexpected journey through sound has shaped me personally and professionally and thoughts on how I and the ASA can continue to broaden participation in acoustics.

From Complexity to Clarity

From Complexity to Clarity

Access and Representation: A Narrative Review of the Disparities in Access to Clinical Trials and Precision Oncology in Black men with Prostate Cancer

To provide commentary on the disparities in access to clinical trials and precision oncology specific to Black men with Prostate Cancer (PCa) in the United States and lend a general framework to aid in closing these gaps. The ideas, commentaries and data presented in this narrative review were synthesized by utilizing qualitative and quantitative studies, reviews, and randomized control trials performed between 2010 and 2021. We searched PubMed using the key words "Medicaid", "Medicare", "clinical trials", "African Americans", "Black", "underrepresentation", "access", "Prostate Cancer", "minority recruitment", "racial disparities", "disparity", "genomics", "biomarkers", "diagnostic" "prognostic", "validation", "precision medicine", and "precision oncology" to identify important themes, trends and data described in the current review. Keywords were used alone and combination with both "AND" and "OR" terms. Black men with prostate cancer (PCa) in the United States have earlier onset of disease, present with more advanced stages, and worse prostate cancer-specific survival than their White counterparts. Potential causative factors vary from disparities in health care access to differences in tumor immunobiology and genomics along with disparate screening rates, management patterns and underrepresentation in clinical and translational research such as clinical trials and precision oncology. To avoid increasing the racial disparity in PCa outcomes for Black men, we must increase inclusion of Black men into precision oncology and clinical trials, using multilevel change. Underrepresentation in clinical and translational research may potentiate poorly validated risk calculators and biomarkers, leading to poor treatment decisions in high-risk populations. Relevant actions include funding to include minority-serving institutions as recruitment sites, and inclusion of evidence based recruitment methods in funded research to increase Black representation in clinical trials and translational research.

The absence of black and ethnic minority representation in UK heritage conservation and the value of including diverse voices

The demographic of UK heritage conservation professionals currently demonstrates a clear under-representation of marginalised individuals. This article principally aims to raise awareness and explore ideas on the lack of black and minority ethnic diversity in conservation by addressing some of the specific issues and barriers that cause systems of exclusion, inequity and inaccessibility. Crucially, it will establish why it is particularly valuable to include and retain these diverse voices in heritage environments. Discussions are supported by recent studies, reports and events, including some of the author’s own lived experiences so that readers can acknowledge and understand the direct, real and first-hand impact of some of the issues. Ultimately, the article seeks to help continue the drive for positive social change.

Emergent themes and pragmatic research methods for meaningful cultural representation of Blacks in multimedia products for the science classroom

ABSTRACT Going beyond ceremony to meaningfully integrate the lived experiences and narratives of Blacks particularly African Americans in the science curriculum, requires pragmatic research methodologies. K-12 science curriculum development neither considered the needs of African Americans nor were developed with Blacks in mind. Many questions arise related to what might be considered important for Blacks to know and moreover, who should make this determination, and from whose perspectives. This research used a multifaceted approach that was interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary in content and methodology. Considerations were given to social, cultural, historical, political, cognitive, and scientific lenses. This particular study explored considerations that led to the creation of two kinds of multimedia products – video clips and an animation. This research explores how the lived experiences and narratives of African American Gullah Geechee of the southern Coasts of the United States might be integrated into the science curriculum using video clips. This research also investigates the creation of a culturally representative animation to explicate considerations that were made when using the social, cultural, and historical underpinnings of Blacks in America. The research highlights the research methodologies and the meaning of representation, that have important implications for meaningful Black cultural representation in the science curriculum.

Black Disparities in Targeted Therapy Clinical Trials – A Call for Future Reset

Studies show marked disparities in the relative risk of cancer death between Black Americans and White Americans even after adjusting for the stage at diagnosis and age. This may be explained by disparities in different aspects of cancer care including providing equal screening opportunities, availability of proper treatment options and inclusivity in clinical trials. To our knowledge, our study is the first descriptive study on Black disparities in targeted therapy clinical trials. We collected data on Black inclusivity from pivotal clinical trials as well as trials of special interest involving targeted therapies in some of the commonly encountered cancers. Our results show that most targeted therapy trials included in our review were multinational including some participating countries with very few or no Blacks and therefore had very poor Black representation with an average of around 1-3%. Also, some trials lacked transparent data on the racial demographics raising concerns on the generalizability of data when extrapolated to treat the Black population. We have reviewed existing literature on differences in cancer biology and host biology depending on the race and end with suggestions to improve Black inclusivity in clinical trials.

The Han saviour behind the blackface: racialised and gendered media representations in Africa–China popular geopolitics

ABSTRACT In this article, I provide a critical look into the cultural politics of racialised and gendered representations in Africa–China related mediascapes from the perspective of “popular geopolitics.” Geopolitical frameworks have been used in political science and international relations research to analyse Africa–China issues, but have been remarkably overlooked as methodological tools for making sense of the cultural politics of Afro-Chinese racialised politics and narratives, and their implications. To breach this gap, I focus on a number of recent controversial incidents (e.g. an advertisement, a theatrical skit, and debates around social media posts) that weave old and new racist rhetoric/tropes, and gendered stereotypes, into evolving processes of racialisation that inform everyday geopolitical imaginaries of the Africa–China encounter. This is followed by a brief discussion where I use the notion of “multiple triangulations” to trace the routes through which negative stereotypes about blackness could have entered China. By specifically looking at contemporary popular media representations of Africa and blackness, I show how “race,” ethnicity, gender, class and nationalism, problematically underwrite, and are written into a rhetoric that evinces geopolitical asymmetries that characterise crucial areas of Africa–China relations. Throughout the article, I argue that there is an emerging pattern where Chineseness is discursively constructed as a “replacement” for whiteness.

La représentation des Noirs dans le cinéma d’animation américain : entre pseudosciences et circulations intermédiatiques transnationales (1907‑1946)

Depuis l’avenement du cinema-attraction a la fin du xixe siecle jusqu’a la sortie du film de Walt Disney Melodie du Sud en 1946, les films d’animation americains ont represente les individus noirs de facon stereotypee. Depeints comme des voleurs, des tricheurs idiots, devots a l’extreme ou au contraire blasphemateurs, prompts a la superstition et irremediablement esclaves de leurs passions et des plaisirs charnels, les personnages noirs du cinema d’animation sont les heritiers d’une longue « tradition » visuelle et ideologique anterieure a l’existence du medium lui‑meme. C’est precisement l’aspect proteiforme de ces representations et ce qu’elles revelent des Etats‑Unis qui nous interesse ici.