Social and Community Context

Social and community context refers to the places where people spend their time and who they interact with. The connections people have can influence both mental and physical health. When there is limited contact or involvement with others, it can shorten one’s lifespan. Having good relations at home, work, and in the community where someone lives can improve health. Looking at household make-up, social clubs, voting rates, and crime data can inform how the community interacts together.

Historical Spotlight on Health

Social acceptance and community belonging are important aspects of a healthy and thriving community. Yet, history shows us that many people from diverse backgrounds have experienced different forms of racism. One form was in the formation of sundown towns. A sundown town is any organized jurisdiction that for decades kept African Americans or other groups from living in it. Thus, it was classified “all-white” on purpose according to an excerpt in the late James W. Loewen’s book titled “Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism.”  

According to a database of sundown towns, Janesville (WI) was labeled as “surely” being a sundown town.¹ Numerous articles have been published in the Janesville Gazette that share first-hand accounts of Janesville as a sundown town. According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, “even though Sundown towns are outlawed, the enduring legacy of racial segregation and structural racism may impact the health inequities experienced by racial and ethnic minority populations in these historic Sundown towns today.”² 

7.1% of CHA survey respondents report that they or someone in their household always or often experienced discrimination in the community. Racial discrimination was reported as one of the most frequent types of discrimination experienced in the community.*

  1. History & Social Justice, Janesville, WI:  https://justice.tougaloo.edu/sundowntown/janesville-wi/  

  2. Structural racism through Sundown towns and its relationship to COVID-19 local risk and racial and ethnic diversity:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10207838/  

*Data located in Social and Community Context Dashboard within the “Community Corner”.