Health
Unhealthy Food Advertising Targets Consumers of Color

Candy, sugary drinks, snacks, and cereal made up 73% of food and beverage ad spending on Black-targeted and Spanish-language TV in 2021, according to a new study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Health at the University of Connecticut.
The more than $1 billion spent on this targeted marketing exacerbates inequities in poor diet and diet-related diseases in communities of color, including heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. For this report, the Rudd Center analyzed TV advertising by all food and beverage companies. However, 19 companies were responsible for 75% of all TV food and beverage advertising spending, 79% of Spanish- language TV advertising, and 82% of Black-targeted TV advertising.
These companies included PepsiCo, Kellogg Company, The Coca-Cola Company, The Hershey Company, General Mills, Mondelez International, The Kraft Heinz Company, Mars, Ferrero USA, Nestle USA, Keurig Dr Pepper, Red Bull, Campbell Soup Company, Unilever United States, Tyson Foods, Danone North America, The Wonderful Company, Post Foods, and Conagra Brands, Inc.
The proportion of unhealthy products featured in food and beverage TV ads targeted to Black and Hispanic consumers increased from 2017 to 2021.
- Candy, sugary drinks, snacks, and cereals represented three-quarters of Spanish-language and Black-targeted TV ad spending in 2021, up from approximately one-half each in 2017.
- In 2021, Black youth and adults viewed 9% to 21% more food and beverage TV ads compared to their white peers.
- Companies also increased their focus on advertising to Spanish-speaking audiences, evidenced by an increase in the proportion of total TV ad dollars companies dedicated to Spanish-language TV from 2017 to 2021 (7.8% vs. 8.5%).
There were reductions in total TV food and beverage advertising spending and TV ad exposure due to major shifts in TV viewing habits.
- Total TV food and beverage ad spending declined by 25% between 2017 and 2021, and children and teens viewed 58% to 62% fewer TV ads overall.
- TV ads viewed by Hispanic teens on Spanish-language TV declined at a lower rate, by 38%.
- Disparities in TV advertising exposure for Black versus white youth also decreased, due to greater declines in TV ads viewed by Black youth (66-70%) than by white youth (56-58%).
- However, reductions in TV food ad exposure mirrored declines in the amount of time spent watching TV, including by Black, white, and Hispanic youth, and do not appear to reflect a change in ethnically targeted marketing strategies by food companies.
A review of companies’ public statements also found numerous examples of targeted marketing campaigns aimed at multicultural youth.
- Many campaigns incorporated hip-hop and Latinx music celebrities and other youth-oriented themes. Extensive cause-related marketing included donations and collaborations with nonprofits to benefit communities of color and foster goodwill for almost exclusively unhealthy food and beverage brands.
“Companies express how much they respect the culture and concerns of Black and Hispanic communities, but at the same time, they appear to ignore the negative health impacts of the products they promote to Black and Hispanic youth,” said Fran Fleming-Milici, PhD, study co-author and the Rudd Center’s director of Marketing Initiatives.
Community
Emotional Emancipation Circles: Nurturing Black Mental Health

By Ayana Brown, MHPS
“We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because whilst others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind.” – Marcus Garvey
As Black Americans, we carry the weight of our ancestors’ struggles, resilience, and triumphs. Our collective history is filled with pain, but it is also infused with strength. In the face of ongoing challenges, it is essential for us to prioritize our emotional well-being and seek healing. There are more than 100 types of therapy, yet few are culturally based. Even fewer are made available to Black, Indigenous and People of Color, or the BIPOC community. One powerful tool that can aid in this process is the Emotional Emancipation Circle (EEC).
Emotional Emancipation Circles from the Community Healing Network (CHN) provide a safe and supportive space to confront and heal from the psychological and emotional wounds inflicted by racism, discrimination, and systemic oppression. Endorsed by the late Maya Angelou in 2009 and supported by the Association of Black Psychologists, EECs are rooted in the understanding that our mental and emotional well-being is as important as our physical health.
These support groups are structured and evidence-based settings where people from the diaspora participate in open and honest talks, allowing us to express the various feelings of being Black. We share our tales, worries, hopes, and dreams with the knowledge that we are not being judged. We offer support to one another via active listening, empathy, and affirmation, forming links of healing and resilience. We also discover our genuine history.
Empowered by what I was first exposed to in Panama, I became a certified facilitator in 2021. I recognize that the BIPOC community struggles with insufficient access to resources and feels their individual needs are overlooked. As a disabled veteran, caregiver, and parent, I am passionate about advocating, consulting, and collaborating with a nationwide network of providers dedicated to education and empowerment. This is a service that REACH Peer Support Services offers to “fill in the gaps” between our community needs and what is offered.
The Community Healing Network has formed these circles globally. If you want to learn more about CHN and other BIPOC-focused mental health resources and services for your church, organization, or family, go to (ReachPeerSupportServices.com). Those who join the newsletter will know about the next EEC location first.

After serving honorably in the United States Navy, Ayana Brown, MHPS, launched REACH Peer Support Services, LLC in 2021 to use her various experiences towards her passion, empowering families to heal with advocacy and non-judgmental support.
Community
Campaign to Bring Awareness to Black Maternal Health

- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 700 women die each year in the United States as a result of pregnancy or delivery complications.
- Almost two-thirds of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable (Source: CDC)
- In 2020, Black women were most disproportionately affected with a mortality rate of 55.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to 19.1 deaths per 100,000 live births, and 18.2 deaths per 100,000 live births for White and Hispanic women, respectively (Source: CDC).
- In 2020, the maternal mortality rate for Black women was 3 times the rate for White women in the United States. Multiple factors contribute to these disparities, such as lower quality healthcare, structural racism, and implicit bias from healthcare providers, and underlying chronic conditions. (Source: CDC)
- The U.S. has an infant mortality rate of 5.4 per 1000 live births in 2020, with a health disparity among Black babies at a rate of 10.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2019. (Source: CDC)
Recently the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Inc. (BMMA) kicked off its 6th annual Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW23) campaign with the introduction of the organization’s new comprehensive issues and values-based policy agenda, Black Mamas Matter: In Policy and Practice.
Black Mamas Matter: In Policy and Practice is organized into six overarching policy issues that are central to the work that BMMA partners do across the country and represent the issues on which BMMA is frequently asked to engage and endorse legislation. They include:
1) Structural and Social Determinants of Black Maternal Health
2) Full Spectrum Maternal, Sexual, and Reproductive Healthcare
3) Black Maternal, Reproductive, and Perinatal Workforce Development 1
4) Criminalization of Black Women, Birthing People, and Families
5) Research and Data Transformation
6) Black Women and Birthing People’s Leadership
Launched by BMMA in 2018, Black Maternal Health Week is a week-long initiative held from April 11 through April 17 that amplifies Black and Black women-led efforts across the U.S. and globally to improve and advance maternal health, rights, and justice for Black mothers and birthing people. Black Maternal Health Week takes place each year during National Minority Health Month and coincides with the International Day for Maternal Health and Rights on April 11. The theme for this year’s campaign is, “Our Bodies Belong to Us: Restoring Black Autonomy and Joy,” which captures the ethos and spirit behind collective efforts to amplify the voices, perspectives and lived experiences of Black women and birthing people.
“As we reckon with the upending of Roe V. Wade and the relentless attacks against reproductive rights and bodily autonomy, this year’s Black Maternal Health Week campaign speaks to our strength, power and resilience, and our unassailable right to live freely, safely, and joyfully,” said Angela D. Aina, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Black Mamas Matter Alliance. “Further, BMMA’s policy agenda is both the culmination and continuation of the work being led by our Alliance partners to end the maternal health crisis in the United States, and offers sound, evidence-based policy recommendations that would genuinely support and advance the Black maternal and perinatal workforce.”
Building upon its commitment to improving Black maternal health across the country, #BMHW23 Sponsor Baby Dove will unveil their latest initiative – the NEW Black Doula Directory, developed in collaboration with Sista Midwife Productions. This new accessible online resource will limit barriers to accessing Black doulas who can provide culturally competent care that acknowledges the unique experiences of Black families.
Black Life Texas
Increase Your Health Literacy IQ at Free Health Fair

It is estimated that only 14 percent of the U.S. population has proficient health literacy, and the Black and Latino populations typically score lower in health literacy compared to other races.
To improve health outcomes, The Department of Health and Human Services hopes that observing National Minority Health Month in April will highlight the importance of improving health and reducing health disparities among people of color. Health disparities are the imbalance in the quality of health and health care experienced by groups based on their environmental condition and social, racial, ethnic, and economic status.
One way to improve your health literacy is to attend a health fair honoring National Minority Health Month, sponsored by the San Antonio Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, on Saturday, April 8, from 9 am to noon at Second Baptist Church at 3310 E. Commerce Street.
The fair includes panel discussions on mental health, diabetes, kidney disease, hypertension, prostate cancer, and more. Bring the family to enjoy door prizes, an easter egg hunt, easter baskets, and other free giveaways.
The origin of National Minority Health Month was the 1915 establishment of National Negro Health Week by Booker T. Washington. In 2002, National Minority Health Month received support from the U.S. Congress with a concurrent resolution that “a National Minority Health and Health Disparities Month should be established to promote educational efforts on the health problems currently facing minorities and other health disparity populations.”
The resolution encouraged “all health organizations and Americans to conduct appropriate programs and activities to promote healthfulness in minority and other health disparity communities.”
To register for the free health fair, visit this link.
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