Brittany C. Slatton is a professor of sociology at Texas Southern University, holding a doctorate specializing in race- and gender-based inequality from Texas A&M University, College Station. Her research focuses on three main areas of inquiry: the impact of structural racism and social determinants of health (SSDOH) on Black women’s physical, emotional, and financial well-being; the effect of SSDOH on Black women’s maternal and child health outcomes; and gender- and race-based discrimination within the health care industry, illuminating how these forms of bias contribute to health disparities.
Dr. Slatton’s research has yielded invaluable insights into the impact of SSDOH on Black women’s lives. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including her most recent article, “Repertoire of Resilience: Black Women’s Social Resistance to Suicide” (Social Problems, 2021), which earned her the North Central Sociological Association’s 2023 Scholarly Achievement Award for Articles. She has authored the book Mythologizing Black Women (Routledge 2014). Dr. Slatton also edited Women and Inequality in the 21st Century (Routledge 2019) and Hyper Sexual, Hyper Masculine? Gender, Race, and Sexuality in the Identities of Contemporary Black Men (Routledge 2014).
Thrive Project: Advancing Our Understanding of the Effect of COVID-19 on Black Women’s Wealth and Economic Stability.
The THRIVE Project will incorporate an intersectional approach to advance our understanding of how COVID-19 affects Black women's wealth and economic stability. This study will use a mixed-methods design to (1) identify trends in survey data on economic inequality among Black women during the height of the pandemic and (2) examine rich, in-depth interview data on how various structural barriers during the pandemic contributed to Black women's economic vulnerability and inadequate wealth. The study will identify policies and initiatives on the most effective ways to address these inequities, improve Black women's financial health, and close the gendered racial wealth gap. The THRIVE Project will make new connections between historical inequities, present-day disparities, COVID-19, and Black women's economic instability.
