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Will our society continue to tolerate differential health outcomes based on race, class, gender, and income? Does the political will exist to change the current patterns of disproportionate health status, disease, and mortality? Will our government decide that there is a basic right to health and then make the investment to turn this promise into a reality? If not now, then when? Those committed to addressing these inequities, such as the contributors to this volume, must ask these questions, publish the research that documents health disparities, and create and disseminate interventions that will improve the health and thereby the quality of life for us all. For it is indeed the case that the health status of the most vulnerable members of our communities serve as a canary in the mines for our entire society.

The interventions in section one (e.g., public policy initiatives, community-based intervention programs) discuss ways to reduce or alleviate health disparities among ethnic populations and provide careful descriptions of factors that increased or decreased the success of these interventions (e.g., barriers, resiliency, protective factors, and cultural competence).

Purpose – This chapter discusses health disparities among African Americans living in urban spaces within the United States.

Approach – This chapter provides an overview of health disparities in morbidity and mortality related to maternal and child health (maternal mortality rate, infant mortality, and low birth weight).

Practical implications – This chapter describes research and interventions that strive to increase our ability to understand and reduce health disparities. Eliminating health disparities not only is beneficial to these affected groups but also offers the opportunity to improve the health of the entire U.S. population.

Originality/value – This chapter adds to our understanding of the correlates of health disparities for African American women and children as well as successful interventions that have proven effective in ameliorating these disparities.