Young Black Men Are Dying At Unproportional Rates: A Discussion

(Top Left to Bottom Right) - Ahmaud Arbery, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Kendrick Johnson

By: Raki Jordan

I don't think society really wants to know the disproportional deaths of Black men; if so, there would be an outrage in why there's no mention of it. Even I was reluctant to write about this disposition, though, it isn't because of willing ignorance, but a sudden fear that I might be next in line to see the face of Death.

So, let us talk. I've lived on Earth for a little over two decades and lost five Black men I grew up with from homicide—all under the age of 21 years old. What's alarming is that if you ask around, the majority of Black people know, are related to, or know someone who knows or is related to a Black man who had been murdered.

According to The United States Census Bureau, Black women make up 50.75% out of the entire Black population in the U.S; despite Black men being born more often. What this doesn't tell you is that the population of Black men starts declining as they get older. By the ages between 40 to 44 years old, Black women start outnumbering them (this doesn't even account for them outnumbering Black men, not just by being alive, but also, from Black men being incarcerated). This puts the average age of Black men to be 32.5 years old (or 33 if you round), with a life expectancy of 68.8 years of age, compared to the life expectancy of White men at about 74 years old.

Now, how might this be? From 15-24 years old, Black men experience a peak of premature deaths due to homicide and suicide. According to the American Association of Suicidology (AAS), in 2014, 2,421 Black people died by suicide, with Black men making up 80.38% (1,946) of these suicides. And the numbers are increasing each year. In 2018, the number of Black male suicide was 2,578, with guns being the go-to method to kill themselves (this is also a common method among Black women); making suicide the 3rd leading cause of death of Black men between 15-24 years old.

With homicides, Black men are 15 times more likely to be murdered than that of White men. This accounts for Black males ages 1-19 years old to make up 35.2% of homicide victims. And ages 20-44 years old accounting for 28.9% of homicide deaths. Which makes homicide the number one leading cause of death for Black men 15 to 34 years of age; this is according to NVSS (National Vital Statistics Reports) 2016 report on leading causes of death.

The top causes of death for young Black men, based on a study from Michigan, Rutgers, and Washington University are:

1. Accidental death

2. Suicide

3. Homicide

4. Heart Disease

5. Cancer

6. Police Brutality

The numbers pertaining to the premature deaths of Black men are going to increase. By society not recognizing the increasing epidemic among Black men, there's going to be a further decline in the population of Black men in America. To elaborate further, society must look at what is contributing to the premature deaths of Black men, and eliminate the existing problem. And one way to slow down the rate of suicide is to express Black men by showing uplifting and positive imagery and influences. And to decrease the murder of Black men, violence within the Black community will have to be met with the eradication of poverty, that majority of Black people fall under. This, will then, dismantle the nature of the kill or be killed mentality many young Black men face walking the streets. This isn't mentioning underdeveloped American police force, that isn't trained to handle urban areas.

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