Girl, What’s Been Going On?

Well here we are… 9 issues in and still growing! I can’t thank you enough for reading and sharing my newsletter. When I started this last year, I had no idea what it would become and I’m so proud of how far we’ve come in just a year. There are over 100 of you reading my musings on a monthly basis! Y’all know I’m a data geek, so I’m excited by the analytics that say not only are you receiving, but you’re actually reading and engaging. 🤯 So I had to take the time to say thank you for believing in my voice and perspective. It means the absolute world to me.

April was an amazing month for me. So much so, that I can’t remember a lot of what I’ve done. I was present. I was engaged. I was loved on. I loved on. Such a great month that I even shocked myself with trying to think I was still in my 20s and staying up late a few nights. (Spoiler alert: I am not in my 20s anymore and my body definitely knows that… 🫠)

While I’m thankful for the time I had to really rejuvenate myself and lean heavily into my self-care, therapy, acupuncture, and radical expressions of love and friendship, I am eagerly waiting for May. Why you may ask? Well lets talk about it...

I RECEIVED MY PASSPORT ON FRIDAY, APRIL 28! Yes, I have never owned a passport until my now big age of 36. And while I don’t want to get on my soapbox about how many times I’ve been made to feel less than because I did not have a passport or a story of being outside of the country, I will say that traveling should never be an icebreaker discussion or something that is discussed in general meetings because it is elitist AF and I’ve been made to feel small for something that is common for about a third of the population. In fact, less than half of Black Americans have traveled abroad compared to 75-76% of White and Hispanic Americans! Growing up, my parents owned passports, but as they were dealing with health concerns and those associated financial pitfalls, traveling outside of the US was far from a priority. I even can remember drawing in my Mommy’s passport as a child. 🤷🏾‍♀️

As I got older, traveling was a luxury that I could not afford or think about as I was navigating big life events throughout my adolescence and young adulthood. And it’s really not been until these past few years that I could even financially think about going outside of the country for a vacation or exploration. But now that I am here — y’all get ready because HEJ is going on the move! I have so many places and people I want to see and visit, but with self-care, school, work, Jase and Ginger, and motherhood planning it’s going to be a careful balancing act.

If you’re interested in learning where I plan to travel, check out a free trial of the HEJ Inner Circle. The last post detailed my travel plans and a potential timeline. 

One thing I will share is that for every place I go outside of the United States, I will be looking for Black people because we are everywhere and I am on a quest to prove it. I am on a quest to visit the spaces that have meant something to our Black experience and to discuss all of the things health equity across the world. Stamp after stamp I will be searching for stories and bringing those back to continue my quest to be a storyteller of Black history and our experiences. ✊🏾

New web feature: Comment and let me know where I should go during my travels across the world. FYI: You have to be logged into leave a comment.

How’s School?!

Y’all… term 4 is more than halfway done! Praise be, because your girl needs another break. And while I’ll be in class all summer, some of those classes may be finished while I’m on an international beach somewhere because why not? As promised, my June issue will be a full year recap of my courses and lessons learned. If you’re a first year DrPH cohort member and want to give me things to share, please hit the reply button! I want to include all the voices!

Alright, since I last checked in, quick reminder that I’m in these classes:

1. Social Context of Adolescent Health & Development

2. The One Health Approach to Epidemiology and Global Public Health: Problem Solving Seminar

3. Designing a Strategic Plan

Favorite class without question - Social Context of Adolescent Health & Development. Dr. Terri Powell, is amazing AND I convinced her to work with me as an advisor/mentor/future colleague!!! The rest of these classes — y’all — 🤦🏾‍♀️. But before I go into my One Health class, did I mention that I’m a (teaching assistant) TA for the media course I took during the summer? I’m hoping this is the first of many classes for which I serve as a TA because I love teaching and facilitating... especially the provocative things!

One Health

Quick plug: If you haven’t heard about one health, you should check out the February episode of Health Equity Mondays. Omari discusses one health and its relation to the East Palestine train derailment.

Alright, so beyond the class having an annoying weekly assignment due on Friday at 8pm (who does that?!) I am learning how to write about how racism impacts all things, especially when animals are involved. I mean not that I needed a class to help me do that, but I’m sure my TAs read my weekly assignments and are like, can this girl find racism as the cause for everything?! Why yes, yes I can. 

Let’s get a couple of examples in here for you…

• Week 2: We had to write about the potential gaps in the World Health Organization’s International Health Regulations 2005. Well, my two identified gaps: “consideration for the health and social inequities of a State Party and inclusion of relative threshold values for the presence of pathogens in animals.” I wrote, “The IHR fails to provide guidance on how State Parties with inequitable health and racialized caste systems should account for surveillance for different populations. For example, in the United States, lack of public health care infrastructure and resources are predominantly in areas of minoritized populations (Black, Hispanic, poor, etc.). Public health issues could be in these populations for extended periods of time before reaching the rest of the country, thus slowing down the potential for control. Additionally, given the presence of increased comorbidities and stress in minoritized populations, if there is no requirement for data to be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, age, SES, etc., there is potential for population level mitigation efforts to be diminished, as with the ongoing SARS-COV-2 pandemic…Leaving the guidelines open-ended and for individual interpretation does not allow for systematized information for quick decision making and only exacerbates inequitable outcomes for historically excluded populations.”

• Week 4: We were tasked with writing a letter to a republican state senator in North Carolina about the environmental impact of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). If you haven’t learned about these, here’s a pretty good article that summarizes the environmental impact of these, especially in North Carolina. Given the audience, I couldn’t go full on Black Power, but I was sure to mention a few things… “As we have seen with the COVID pandemic, those living on the margins are first to be hurt by disease and infections. That is and will continue to be the case for the populations in the Black Belt of the state, with the most CAFOs. Workers of and residents living near CAFOs that spray a mixture of animal manure for area crops experience consumption of water that contains antibiotic resistant bacteria, increased respiratory illness, elevated blood pressure, decreased quality of life, and mental stress (Wendee, 2013).” And because I’m cheeky at 7pm on a Friday, I ended my letter with, “Let’s free ourselves from unnecessary worries and make North Carolina great again!”

So yeah, if you’re ever grading my assignments, be prepared for the link to an -ism, health equity, and/or social justice… all depending on how much energy I have in writing the assignment. 🤷🏾‍♀️ They don’t call me a good troublemaker for nothing.

Like I said, I’m happy that the term is coming to an end. Although, I am registered for three summer classes. AGAIN. 🤬 But I keep telling myself, I did this to myself, and it’s all for a good reason. I’ll tell you more about those courses in June. No rest for the wicked. 🥱

What Are You Doing For Fun?

Buying all the plants. Like really, all the plants. 🌿 My house is filled with 15 plants all named after amazing Black women, and I’m obsessed. Remember when I said I hoped April would bring me more plants? Well it did. And the coolest thing - I let my IG followers name them. In two polls, my followers decided that my two newest plant children should be named Josephine and Etta.

Meet Josephine

Josephine is a Stromanthe ‘triostar’ named after Josephine Baker. World renowned performer, World War II spy, and activist are few of the titles used to describe Josephine Baker. One of the most successful African American performers in French history, Baker’s career illustrates the ways entertainers can use their platforms to change the world. (More about Josephine Baker)

Meet Etta

Etta is a Philodendron ‘heart leaf’ named after Etta James. Etta James had one of the greatest voices of her century. Forever the matriarch of the blues, she has been immortalized by such hits as “At Last,” “Tell Mama” and “Sunday Kind of Love.” (More about Etta James)

My other babies are many and there are still a few that I have on my vision board to bring home to be with their sisters. If you’re interested in the names of my other plant babies, you can find an old IG reel here. A few are even missing from this reel, like Della and Anarcha, but you’ll get the gist.

Wait, What’s Next?

Are you listening to Health Equity Mondays? If the answer is no — why not?! 🤷🏾‍♀️ If the answer is yes — have you shared a comment or future topic idea, here?! Last month, Omari and I interviewed my acupuncturist, Dr. Safiya McCarter. She was an absolute space-taker and talked to us about naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, and dropped some gems about the Black Panther Party. You can find our podcast by searching “Health Equity Mondays” on all podcast platforms. Not into podcasts? Don’t worry. You can watch us on YouTube!

Make sure you check out another new feature below. I have a referral program! Have you always wanted free merch? Now’s your chance. The more you share my newsletter, the more I’ll reward you with stickers, mugs, and clothes! 🫶🏾

I’ll be back in your inboxes in June. If you miss me - you know how to get more of me.

Until next time, always remember to take up as much space as you need.