On Saturday, June 18th join Healthy Cleveland in celebrating Juneteenth at Morning Star Baptist Church from noon to 4 pm. The celebration will include the unveiling of a mural and recognition of the We Wear the Mask call for art selections. The day will include live music, free food, face painting, games, and much more....
Juneteenth, slavery, and the origins of health disparities
While Juneteenth has been recognized over the last two centuries as Black Independence Day—a celebration commemorating the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans—it also serves as a cruel reminder of how long our country has to go before overcoming entrenched systemic racism. It is widely accepted that the first kidnapped Africans to reach European colonies in...
Local efforts to address racism as a public health crisis in Northeast Ohio
Since 2020, many municipalities across Northeast Ohio either declared racism as a public health crisis or condemned racism. According to an article from The Land, 10 towns and cities across Cuyahoga County declared racism as a public health crisis (RAPHC) and six cities passed resolutions to condemn racism. Cuyahoga County, for example, established the Citizens...
There is no Other anymore: our community engagement and racial equity work
Ninety days ago, I left my role as President-CEO of the historical and effective East End Neighborhood House. After two decades working in the Buckeye neighborhood, the assignment became clear, I wanted to elevate the voice, value, and engagement of our community to be part of policy and advocacy efforts. The opportunity to serve as...
The diversity of Asian Americans contributes to Ohio’s diversity
Asian Pacific American Heritage month found its place in May based on two dates, highlighting both immigration and labor. May 7, 1843, marks the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States. Golden Spike Day, May 10, 1869, recognizes the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S., which had significant contributions...
Prioritize Black and brown women when addressing maternal mortality and morbidity
The United States is one of the most dangerous places in the world to give birth. This is a frightening sentence to write as a pregnant woman. Impending childbirth and parenthood are anxiety-inducing enough (even though I’ve been through it all before), but the work that my colleagues and I have been doing over the...
Racism as a Public Health Crisis: Mental Health Pipeline
A temper tantrum over a pair of sunglasses led to the arrest of a six-year-old. That six-year-old child with known medical issues was arrested by the school’s resource officer, placed in zip ties by another officer, put in the back of a police car, taken to a juvenile center for processing fingerprinted, had their mug...
Impact of Ohio Substitute House Bill 327 on Non-Profit Organizations
Ohio Substitute House Bill 327 is currently pending before the House State and Local Government Committee. The bill, as drafted, would impose sweeping new prohibitions on local non-profit organizations implementing inclusion and diversity programs in the State of Ohio if they receive any funds from the State of Ohio or an Ohio political subdivision. The...
Racism as Public Health Crisis: Impact on Black Health Care Workers
The current COVID-19 public health crisis is affecting everyone, but is acutely impacting those working in the health care field. A Morning Consult survey polling 1,000 healthcare workers across the U.S. in January 2021 found that almost one in two workers reported that their mental health and daily life had worsened during the pandemic, close...
Lessons of Two Years of COVID-19: Impacts of an Offline System for WIC Beneficiaries in Ohio
By: Hope A. Lane-Gavin, Fellow, Health Equity, The Center for Community Solutions Katherine Ungar, Policy Associate, Children’s Defense Fund – Ohio In our first blog of this series highlighting our research into the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and how it operates in Ohio, we outlined many of the program’s...