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Race and Ethnicity: A Compelling Research Agenda
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
TO THE EDITOR:
I have just finished reading, with some dismay, the editorial by Dr. Nickens [1]. The author makes an excellent point regarding the need to focus attention on questions of race and sex in relation to certain health outcomes. Unfortunately, he introduces his editorial with a political point: support for affirmative action policies. He correctly surmises that those opposed to the concept of affirmative action believe “that race is not a relevant way of distinguishing persons from one another.” He then cites three articles in recent issues of Annals [2-4] that show racially different health outcomes, and he (incorrectly) implies that such disparities prove that race is relevant in making distinctions between persons. Dr. Nickens has created the classic “apples and oranges” situation, comparing a medical problem with a sociopolitical one. No one will deny the validity of investigating the reasons for disparate health outcomes that occur along racial lines (a medical problem deserving of editorial airing in Annals). However, to use this medical information and claim that it justifies affirmative action (the making of employment decisions on the basis of race) is a conclusion that is neither addressed nor supported by the data. We must address the questions raised about minority health issues, but we should do so in an arena of scientific integrity, not in the service of a political policy that is widening, not narrowing, the gaps in understanding between persons of different races.
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
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