Decades of racial bias have put minorities at a disadvantage in education, where they are less likely to be pushed toward elite colleges. The pattern continues in jobs, where they are routinely passed over for similarly qualified white candidates; in housing, where they frequently are steered to less desirable neighborhoods; and in health care, where their medical concerns often are not taken as seriously. The stress of racism alone has been linked to physiological changes that contribute to higher rates of asthma, diabetes, and kidney disease, Williams said.
