Social Capital, Black Social Mobility, and Health Disparities

This review aims to delineate the role of structural racism in the formation and accumulation of social capital and to describe how social capital is lever-aged and used differently between Black and White people as a response to the conditions created by structural racism. We draw on critical race theory in public health praxis and restorative justice concepts to reimagine a race-conscious social capital agenda. We document how American capitalism has injured Black people and Black communities' unique construction of forms of social capital to combat systemic oppression. The article proposes an agenda that includes communal restoration that recognizes forms of social capital appreciated and deployed by Black people in the United States that can advance health equity and eliminate health disparities. Developing a race-conscious social capital framing that is inclusive of and guided by Black community members and academics is critical to the implementation of solutions that achieve racial and health equity and socioeconomic mobility.

Automated summary

This article examines the role of structural racism in the formation and utilization of social capital, specifically focusing on how Black and White individuals differ in their response to structural racism. By drawing on critical race theory and restorative justice concepts, the authors propose a race-conscious social capital agenda that acknowledges the unique forms of social capital developed by Black communities to combat systemic oppression. The article emphasizes the importance of involving Black community members and academics in developing a race-conscious social capital framework to achieve racial and health equity.