In honor of Black History Month 2023, we asked UC Berkeley School of Public Health students and faculty what this month means to them and what everyone should know about the Black experience in healthcare. I asked What we heard: expression, respect, resistance, and fearlessness. Here are their thoughts in their own words.
bria brown
Bria Brown (She/She/She) is a first-year MPH candidate in the Health Policy and Management program. For her, Black History Month is a time to remind her that despite the systemic oppression built into her, the legacy of her ancestors inspires her to continue breaking down her barriers.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
Black History Month not only gives me an opportunity to reflect on the past and the present, but it also gives me an opportunity to appreciate, rejoice, and honor my ancestors and the fruits of their labor. is the history of Without black history, there is no history. Too often we are taught the false narrative of history or “selective” history in our school system, but Black History Month is about noticing the achievements, contributions, untold stories, culture, and plight of Black people. It is a time when you can and should. of our people. We stand still with the intention of breaking our communities down through constant and deliberate attacks by institutional design! The legacy of my ancestors continues to push me to break down barriers and to fear when faced with adversity. I encourage you to work on it without hesitation.
How do you think the history of the Black experience in healthcare and public health can be disseminated?
First and foremost, it is important to acknowledge and understand the historical trauma Black people have experienced in the healthcare system. The Tuskegee Experiment and the story of Henrietta Lux are prime examples of the mistrust, racial prejudice, and injustice that Black people frequently experience in oppressive systems. History often repeats itself, and today’s problems resemble those of the past. This problem will continue to persist unless past experiences are recognized, acknowledged and confronted. In order to seek change, we must first know the past and act proactively to dismantle the fragmented system. Also, with more representation in healthcare, Black voices will be heard and seen.
How do you think UC Berkeley and Berkeley Public Health can amplify the voices of Black community members?
UC Berkeley can amplify the voice of members of the Black community by increasing the number of Black faculty members in leadership positions. That alone increases the visibility of our voice. Second, if you have guest speakers, it would be nice to hear from Black members about their experiences in different workforce areas. Additionally, having more spaces where black voices can be heard and where they can come together and discuss various issues and events is a big step in the right direction. Finally, more financial support in terms of fellowships and scholarships. It provides many opportunities for blacks to enter and graduate from UC Berkeley.
Orhunke Bamidale Fasaweh (Funke)
DrPH sophomore Funke Fasawe (She/She/She) says one way public health can move toward equity is by weaving health into all core breadth classes here at Berkeley Public Health. I believe there is.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
Black History Month is a reminder of how far we have come as people to achieve racial equality and to dismantle the structural barriers that exist and have kept many from achieving their human rights and potential. It represents the struggle and bloodshed of tireless activists and advocates to advance the black cause in America and around the world, and how much we still have to do. We want our society to be fair, without prejudice, and for all, everywhere, regardless of race, gender, or other social structures we have created to segregate. Continuing to amplify the core message of transforming society, including people, brings a sense of responsibility. It reinforces my desire as an individual to contribute in my own way in a meaningful and practical way to this cause in my social and professional engagements.
How do you think the history of the Black experience in healthcare and public health can be disseminated?
I think we need to teach more about the structural barriers to access to healthcare and how these barriers actually work. I believe that educating public health professionals and frontline health care workers about structural competence is critical and should be incorporated into all aspects of medicine and public health. Health ethics need to be taught. Finally, we need to deliberately create a forum for engagement across the public health community to deliberately advocate and address injustices, disparities, and inequities in health care delivery that affect Black people and others. I have.
How do you think UC Berkeley and Berkeley Public Health can amplify the voices of Black community members?
- Increase the proportion of blacks among students and faculty. Recruiting more Black faculty and accepting more Black students would be beneficial. Seeing more Black faculty leaders empowers Black people and people of all colors to thrive in the UC Berkeley community Create a powerful model for aspiring public health graduates and social changers of black origin who drive the narrative of creating a shared and equal space for people. under.
- Increase the number of classes that make more visible the structural barriers that cause disparities in access to health care and how they affect black and other underrepresented communities. Likewise, I believe that health ethics should be interwoven as a broad course, or at least a core theme of a broad course, in all degree programs here at Berkeley Public Health.
- Increase funding and fellowship opportunities for research aimed at dismantling these structural barriers. This important funding will support the development of innovative frameworks to increase the diversity and representation of Black people and their experiences in the way healthcare and public health are designed, programmed, delivered and measured.
Jordan Williams
Jordan Williams (she/her/hers) is a first-year MPH candidate for Health and Social Behavior Concentration and a Fellow of the Blue Shield of California. She says she’s here in Berkeley. One of my main goals her is to actively push boundaries and create a healthier society by developing innovative solutions based on research, education, advocacy, and community empowerment. That’s it. “
What does Black History Month mean to you?
For me, Black History Month is a time of focused reflection, community connection, and celebration. Through joy, laughter and deep conversations with family, friends, elders and community peers, we connect with where we are as individuals and as a community and where we want to be in the future. increase. I especially enjoy celebrating her BHM through various forms of art. From singers like Nina Simone, to writers like James Baldwin, and playwrights like August Wilson, we love celebrating Black History Month with an art form that captures the nuanced essence of the Black experience. .
How do you think the history of the Black experience in healthcare and public health can be disseminated?
There are many ways to bring the history of the Black experience into medicine and public health. Real improvement comes from a deep understanding of the Black experience and how public health and the healthcare system are part of that experience. Three areas of his that I would like to delve deeper into are:
- education: As academic programs produce the next generation of public health and healthcare workers, academic institutions must incorporate the history of black health disparities into their curricula to enhance cultural competencies and foster environments of empathy and understanding.
- collaboration: Accurately represent and appropriately disseminate the history of the Black experience in health care by working with historically Black colleges and universities, Black health-focused medical institutions, and working with community stakeholders can do.
- Digital media: The prevalence of websites, social media, and apps allows information to be disseminated efficiently and effectively. Public health and healthcare workers should use digital media to foster connectivity and bring more awareness of the history of black experience in healthcare.
How do you think UC Berkeley and Berkeley Public Health can amplify the voices of Black community members?
Growth means pushing boundaries and questioning the status quo. I think it’s important to note that in the process of amplification, people have to get used to being uncomfortable. . Berkeley Public Health amplifies the voice of its members in the black community by providing the space and opportunity for members to honestly and authentically share their ideas, thoughts and concerns with each other and with stakeholders. I believe we can. UC Berkeley and Berkeley Public Health must be willing to redesign, rebuild and reassess existing toxic systems and processes to foster an environment that promotes equity, inclusion and compassion.
Daniel Woolridge
Daniel Woolridge, MD (he/him/his) is an Instructor and Recruitment/Outreach Specialist at the University of California, Berkeley/UCSF Joint Medical Program. For him, the moon makes him both festive and devout.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
What Black History Month means to me can be summed up in a series of words:
- Memory
- awe
- Resilience
- resistance
Indeed I equate this month with celebration and awe.
How do you think the history of the Black experience in health care and public health can be disseminated? do you think?
To answer both of these related questions, I would first like to emphasize that if we, as a society, properly disseminate and amplify the voices and experiences of Black people, we should go beyond using a trauma-based lens alone. I mean you need to balance that with your healing/personality. center lens. After all, paying proper respect in a way that honors endurance and achievement despite white supremacy is very different from paying respect in a way that only celebrates what happened to us. and do it imperfectly.
I therefore envision direct and indirect ways to spread and amplify the voice of the Black community, while also revealing, respectively, the countless contributions of white supremacy to the state of public health in the country. For example, the first UC, UC Berkeley, hosted some of the best proponents of racial equity and self-determination at the time (e.g. Stokely Carmichael in 1966, Malcolm X, Mario Savio of the Free Speech Movement). And it has also fostered the academic careers of some of our country’s worst (e.g. eugenicists Herbert M. Evans, MD and Samuel J. Holmes, MD, professors of anatomy and zoology, respectively). A record of all that can be found in the Bancroft Library. Today, most prestigious universities have similar responsibilities to Berkeley, but I believe that UC Berkeley and her BPH are pioneers who, given our institutional ethos, can further lead these efforts. I believe it is.
