Great Migration Shortened Lives of Blacks Who Fled Jim Crow South

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/great-migration-shortened-lives-blacks-who-fled-jim-crow-south-n307711

BY ERRIN WHACK

The move North for millions of African-Americans during the Great Migration brought greater economic and educational opportunities — but also new stresses and big city vices that actually shortened their lives, according to a new study.

Published this month in the American Economic Review, the study found that mortality rates increased at 40 percent for black men and 50 percent for black women who fled the dangers and discrimination of the Jim Crow South in search of better lives. Common causes of death for the migrants included cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and cirrhosis — all linked to bad habits like smoking and drinking.

The study's findings contradict a common assumption among economists that more education and wealth automatically benefit one's health, said Duke University economist and demographer Seth Sanders.

"We thought what we would find was that migration north extended life and made the African-American population healthier," said Sanders one of the study's co-authors. "We actually found exactly the opposite. Urban life is stressful. Being away from your roots is probably stressful."



African American women at work manufacturing spiral puttees at plant of Alexander Propper & Company, New York City.

FULL story at link.

[former9thward]

1. How 2000s of them.

Blaming evil smoking and drinking when the actual cause was poor factory conditions in the north. Not a word about that.

[jwirr]

2. Excellent point. Working conditions in the sweat shops were horrible.