During Black history month, Trump's racist post about Obamas is deleted after backlash despite White House earlier defending it.
Systemic and structural racism are real regardless of what last year's Dear Colleague letter said. Signs referencing slavery, climate change, and Native American history have been removed from at least 17 national park sites in six states,
Sanitizing history betrays the courageous survivors of American brutality and racism.
On a related note, my public health colleagues & I have plenty to say about racism and taking action against it in our freely available (real peer reviewed) article at DOI: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000002325. While we wrote for public health practitioners in a public health journal, the information is applicable to everyone. At the core are racial justice competencies which were worked on for years with guidance & suggested revisions from a thoughtful expert review panel, then pilot tested with public health organizations across the United States.
Competencies are a structured way to assess and understand our learning. These competencies are arranged from introductory to intermediate to leading, with a goal of embedding racial justice in all areas of work. We all have room to grow in racial justice, especially as individuals when organizational priorities have recently shifted.
What does that look like? Here's how-
- Introductory - Share resources, approaches, and tools on structural racism, racial justice, and health equity work.
- Intermediate - Advocate for health equity, social, and environmental justice (e.g. sharing power, educating public and policymakers, and influencing funding).
- Leading - Critique structural and systemic racism embedded within public systems, policies, and practices to advance health equity.
I'm here to share the importance of lifelong learning, and encourage all to get rolling with the call to action at the end.
