Weathering: Research on Scientific Research of Racism on The Human Body
In 1992, then 32 year old public health researcher at the University of Michigan, Arline Geronimus, originated a theory that the peril of trying to co-exist in a racist society leads to fatal health repercussions in marginalized groups. Thirty one years later, data and research from that theory is published in the book – “Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life In An Unjust Society”.
In this unconventional marriage of science and social justice, Geronimus uses the term “weathering”, a word defined as “the process of wearing or being worn by long exposure to the atmosphere”, to metaphorically represent the effects racism and classism has on the human body.
Writer Alisha Haridasani Gupta, in her 2023 article for The New York Times, “How ‘Weathering’ Contributes to Racial Health Disparities”, writes, “Three decades ago, she put forward an idea that was unconventional for the time: that the constant stress of living within a racist society could lead to poor health for marginalized groups…she called this particular form of chronic stress “weathering,” evoking a rock being eroded by constant exposure to the elements. She first presented her findings and the outlines of her hypothesis at the annual conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1990.”
At the time of the findings, Dr. Geronimus was something of a novice to the world of trailblazing academic research and the scrutiny that came with it. Today at 60, the scholar has all but retreated further into research and become somewhat of a recluse, having attended little to no academic conferences over the past few years. In an interview with The New York Times, Dr. Geronimus says, “I was pretty traumatized… so I kind of retreated into my work.”
Just last year, Dr. Geronimus was awarded the James S. Jackson Distinguished Career Award for Diversity Scholarship by the University of Michigan Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She has continued to study health disparities amongst minority groups and has published over 100 papers.
Not since the controversial release of The Moynihan Report in the 1960’s has there been such a controversial research document. Reluctant, dismissed, or neglected, Geronimus’s research is important now more than ever. In an era where health disparities have taken on a whole new meaning since the onset of the COVID-19 coronavirus, revisiting research such as this will bring paramount revelations that will produce conversations surrounding not only the sociocultural impact of racism on minority groups but scientific impacts as well.
Dr. Geronimus’s 2023 research book, “Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life In An Unjust Society” is available for purchase on Amazon and bookstores around the country
