"The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House": Ten Critical Lessons for Black and Other Health Equity Researchers of Color. (June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bowleg, Lisa
• Other Names: Ramirez-Valles Jesus guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Health education & behavior. Volume 48:Number 3(2021)
• Page Start: 237
• Page End: 249
• Publication Date: 2021-06
• Subjects: Black -- African American -- health disparities -- health equity -- population groups -- qualitative methods -- race/ethnicity -- social determinants of health; Health education -- Periodicals; Health behavior -- Periodicals; 613.05
• DOI: 10.1177/10901981211007402
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1090-1981

Abstract

Audre Lorde's provocative admonishment, "The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house, " is a fitting caution for Black and other scholars of color who seek to use traditional social and behavioral sciences research as a tool to achieve social justice and health equity in Black communities. Invoking Lorde, I use the "master's tools" as a metaphor for conventional theoretical and methodological approaches and "dismantle the master's house" as a metaphor for intersectional structures and systems of oppression that created and sustain health inequity in U.S. Black communities. Using a blend of personal narrative and insights from a 23-year career as a Black critical health equity researcher, I share 10 critical lessons for Black and other health equity researchers of color. And because the personal typically reflects the structural, I recommend system and structural-level mitigation strategies for departments, universities, extramural institutions (e.g., journals), and the government, for each critical lesson.