Premature Deaths of Young Black Males in the United States

Abstract

In the United States, generations of young Black males, ages 15 to 24 years, are prematurely dying from homicide and suicide. Between 1950 and 2010, the average death rate for young Black males due to homicide was 81.7 per 100,000 and suicide was 11.8 per 100,000. Ages 15 to 24 years are the intersecting developmental stages of adolescence and young adulthood when premature death should not be expected. The trauma and ceased procreation prospects stemming from Black males’ premature deaths represent a public health crisis in America. Heightened public health approaches are needed to bring attention to a young racial-gender group that is dying five to six decades prior to their life expectancy. The mass suicide-homicide killings, premature deaths, and death disparities among young Black males, ages 15 to 24, in the United States is not a paranoid propaganda. It is undeniably a disturbing public health crisis that requires an urgent national response to reverse and ultimately eradicate the premature death of young Black males.