[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 96 (Tuesday, June 16, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E905-E906]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS: THE MISSING BLACK MALE

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. ROBIN L. KELLY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 15, 2015

  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding 
as we continue our conversation about the challenges facing black males 
today.
  As Chairwoman of the CBC Health Braintrust, I want to discuss the 
health challenges and health outcomes for black men.
  There are a wide range of dangers and health threats that 
disproportionately affect black men. Some of these, we've known about 
for decades, and can be mitigated with the right treatments. While 
others are emerging issues that require more research, more debate, and 
more innovation. The end result is that black men have the lowest life 
expectancy, highest death rate, and have some of the worst health 
outcomes across demographics.
  Black men suffer disproportionately from chronic illnesses, such as 
cancer and heart disease. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease 
Control and prevention, heart disease and cancer are the two leading 
causes of death for African American men.
  Heart disease is the number one killer for all American men. But 
today, African American men remain disproportionately at risk for heart 
disease. 42.6 percent of black men suffer from high blood pressure, 
compared to 33.4 percent of white men. And nearly 44 percent of African 
American men suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease that can 
lead to strokes and heart attacks.
  As for cancer, black men are more than twice as likely to die from 
prostate cancer as white men and have a higher incidence and death rate 
from colorectal cancer.
  A study published this April in the Journal of the American Medical 
Association found that African Americans were 58 percent more likely 
than white people to develop prostate cancer. The same study also found 
that obese black men had a 103 percent increased prostate cancer risk 
compared to obese white men.
  Obesity has also been connected with heart disease and other chronic 
illnesses. And today almost 40 percent of African American men are 
obese, 69 percent are obese or overweight.
  These are serious issues that pose serious health dangers to black 
men. We may not know exactly why black men are so much more at risk for 
these ailments. But we DO know what we can do to reduce the health 
risks and take action to prevent disease.
  That's why as we celebrate National Men's Health Week this week, I 
want to encourage all men to take action--exercise, eat right, and get 
a check up. As Chairwoman of the CBC Health Braintrust, I'll be pushing 
the conversation forward and working to pass legislation to fund more 
research and promote health education so that all Americans can 
continue living healthy lives.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to discuss two issues that are 
plaguing the next generation of black Americans. These being issues 
related to violence--gun violence and suicide.
  Starting with gun violence. In underserved communities around 
America, children are growing up in fear. Kids are playing tag indoors, 
instead of out on their front lawn. Mothers worry about their child 
walking home from school.
  Gun violence in America disproportionately affects African Americans 
and more specifically African American males. Today, 50 percent of all 
deaths for black males aged 15-24 are homicides, usually involving a 
gun. And this year, we are on track for gun violence to become the 
leading cause of death for young black males.
  In the first six months of this year, the Redeye Chicago, a local 
publication, tracked 157 gun related homicides in the city. Nearly 130 
of them involved black males. This isn't an isolated problem. An 
analysis of the FBI's national database of supplementary homicide 
reports revealed that across the country 17,422 black males ages 13 to 
30 have been killed by firearms since 2008.
  It's time we change this. Through common-sense legislation, we can 
ensure that fear of gun violence is no longer the status quo in our 
communities. That's one of the reasons I released the Kelly Report on 
Gun Violence last summer. This was the first comprehensive 
Congressional report on the gun violence problem in America, and 
included effective policy strategies to reduce gun violence in America. 
I ask that my colleagues consider some of the ideas in that report 
online.
  And continuing to speak of violence, I want to bring attention to the 
alarming increase in suicide among young black boys.
  In 1982, the New York Times wrote an article entitled, ``Why Are 
Blacks Less Suicide Prone than Whites?'' I stand here now asking ``Why 
are black boys becoming more suicide prone?''
  According to a recently published study in the Journal of the 
American Medical Association, while the overall suicide rate has 
remained stagnant over the past 20 years, tragically the suicide rate 
among black boys as young as ten years old has nearly doubled. Almost 
20 percent of these suicides are attributed to gun-related wounds.
  This shocking and tragic issue is receiving very little attention in 
our national media and it's being overlooked in our national discussion 
on mental health. Just last month, our colleague, Congressman Emanuel 
Cleaver wrote President Barack Obama calling for a task force to 
examine this issue. In his letter, Congressman Cleaver noted that this 
was the first time that any national survey found a higher suicide rate 
for blacks than for individuals of other ethnicities.
  Whether you're black, white, Latino, or a veteran, Congress can do 
more to take necessary health care measures to address suicides. This 
Congress must work to end the horrific epidemic that is preventing 
young black boys from growing up and reaching their full potential.

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