Other inequities, especially in education, widen the health gap between blacks and whites, panelist Dr. Ben Danielson told an audience of about 60 people at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma.

The discussion was part of an event called “Call to Conscience,” a yearly Black History Month celebration aimed at raising awareness about health issues affecting the black community.

“Disparities is not a strong enough term,” said Danielson, medical director of the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic in Seattle. “We’re talking about racial injustice.”

Those sentiments were echoed by panelist Dr. Maxine Hayes, the state’s top public health doctor.

“It’s too easy to blame the victim for the problem,” she said. Not all neighborhoods are created equal, she said. Some have convenience stores and fast-food restaurants on every corner. Some neighborhoods aren’t safe to go out and exercise in. Studies show that it costs more to eat wholesome foods and those on food stamps can’t easily afford to do so, she said.

“We need to make sure our kids are graduating from school,” Hayes said. “That’s the best way to influence health over an entire lifespan.”

King County Executive Ron Sims was also on the panel.

“All of the data says there’s no single solution,” he said. He pointed out that while increases are being made in some areas, others are getting worse. In 1970, half of black families in King County had two adults; today only 26 percent do.

“It isn’t just access to medical care,” Sims said. “It’s land-use codes, zoning codes, transportation.”

Audience members asked questions and made comments about how to communicate with their doctors better, about being more open about their symptoms and seeking treatment earlier. Panel members stressed both taking responsibility for one’s own choices and working to correct systemic injustices.

“In the national debate about health care, no one is talking about outcomes,” Sims said.

Does it make sense for universal health care to start when people are 65 and have “one foot in the grave,” Hayes asked rhetorically. “It needs to start way upstream.”

The Sunday event, which was presented by MUSICA Entertainment, also featured health tests and screenings, performances by the Matsiko Choir, Dance and Drum Ensemble; Total Experience Gospel Choir, and Northwest Tap Connection.

Keynote speakers included state Sen. Rosa Franklin, D-Tacoma; Dr. E. Faye Williams, chairwoman of the National Congress of Black Women; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant; and M.A. Bender, director of the Odessa Brown Sickle Cell Clinic.

Again and again, the panelists at the discussion stressed education as the key to decreasing health disparities for blacks.

“When a 6-year-old tell me he wants to be a football player when he grows up, I think it’s cute,” Danielson said. “When a 16-year-old says it, I think it’s really sad.”

Ian Demsky: 253-597-8872