Michael Esposito

Michael Esposito is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on identifying the structural mechanisms that (re)generate racial health inequality in the United States. Indeed, the stylized question motivating his work to date is, “How is it possible that Black Americans have, for as long as we’ve monitored population health, borne a disproportionate share of illness and premature death relative to their White peers?” Alongside the efforts of others, his research has helped make the case that racial health disparities are the consequence of racism that’s deeply embedded in our political, economic, and social systems – an organizing logic that has long motivated institutional actors to extend health-relevant privileges to White communities but dump hazards onto Black populations.