Racism & Health
For more than a year the public was complaining about the drinking water in Flint, Michigan. The water was so pungent and foamy that one priest had stopped using it for baptisms. The state’s Department of Environmental Quality, confidently announced, “Anyone who is concerned about lead in the drinking water in Flint can relax.” Flint is a majority African-American city. In nearby Detroit, 85% black, schools are heavily infested with rats, roaches and mold. Might those conditions affect the health of an overwhelmingly black student population? In Baltimore, another largely black city, the levels of lead poisoning among children is three times the national rate. Racism is a big part of the social determinants of health. It’s past time we acknowledge that and do something about it.
Speaker
Camara Phyllis Jones
Camara Phyllis Jones is a family physician and epidemiologist whose work focuses on the impact of racism on health. She served as president of the American Public Health Association. She has taught at the Harvard School of Public Health and has worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is Senior Fellow at the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.
Peter in NM –
Amazing top notch program. Prescient and on target. Her use of gardening metaphor is brilliant.
EMILE POWE –
The presentation has provided a valuable resource for me to use in my medical practice. As a black physician I’m always looking for ways to help my patients understand and cope with the important connection between the system of racism and their health. Along with any prescription that I write, I’ll let them borrow my copy of Dr. Jones’ CD!
Kevin Spitzer –
Fabulous linking of issues and great visual metaphors! Brilliant!
Te’ zins –
Christmas in July comes over the air-waves; just in time to face a great, miraculous snowstorm i.e., not to cover up anything, but to moisturize racism until growing a better understanding towards the Roots-and-Fruits of anti-racism.
William E Ross –
A refreshing voice, combining energy and delightful humor during her important speech in 2015. I loved her flower analogy that she used so well to explain how racism works in our society.
Lex –
Fascinating. This doctor should be the head of education.
From Harry in CA –
Camara Phylis Jones is very impressive. She brings much knowledge and experience, and her manner of speaking is great. Fast, but with crisp clarity. The words are never blurred.
Jacqueline –
This program was very useful to me and is a valuable contribution to the fundamentals of anti-racism training as well as health disparity issues identification. I am so glad I caught the program…and the others too.