Black Houston confronts chronic stress crisis

Black Houston confronts chronic stress crisis

Chronic stress isn’t simply an individual burden; it’s a structural condition.  According to the National Institutes of Health, prolonged exposure to stress—particularly stress driven by racism and discrimination—accelerates physical decline, contributes to hypertension and diabetes, and fuels mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety. For Black communities, stress is an unwelcome environmental reality. The concept of “weathering,”…