It’s impossible to ignore the racial injustices and inequalities in both health care and end-of-life planning. As the top resource for all things end-of-life, we strive for transparency and advocacy.
Juneteenth, or Freedom Day, is a time for reflection, action, and real change. After our first observance in 2020, Cake will be observing Juneteenth as a holiday moving forward. This is one of the many ways we will remember our role within this fight for racial equality.
We encourage you to learn more about how to become a health care advocate and the realities of racism in the death and dying space.
This is in no way a complete list, but it’s a start.
Injustice in healthcare & end-of-life planning:
- Race, Social Structure and Who Gets to Have 'A Good Death'
- Racial Disparities in the Good Death (The Conversation)
- What Are Health Disparities? (Medical News)
- Racism and Discrimination in Health Care (Harvard Health)
- Black Funeral Directors and the Black Lives Matter Movement (African American Intellectual History Society)
» MORE: An online memorial is a perfect ending to honor and celebrate someone's life. Create one for free.
Grief, loss, and inequality:
- The Unbearable Grief of Black Mothers (Vox)
- The Condition of Black Life Is One of Mourning (The New York Times)
- The Killing of Trans Women Is Inseparable from Black Lives Matter (Vice)
- What Is Inhibited Grief?
» MORE: It's time to focus on what really matters.
Use these tools to help.
How to become a healthcare advocate for yourself and others:
- Free Trusted Decision Maker Form
- Advance Directive Forms by US State
- How to Advocate If You’re a Long-Distance Health Care Proxy
- 7 Tips for Starting a Dialogue About Death
- The Need for Patient Advocacy (Vice)
- Considerations for Caregivers in Marginalized Communities (The Order of the Good Death)
» MORE: A will is not enough. Get all the documents you need.