Conversations in Equity Posts

Conversations in Equity is a collection of blogs dedicated to increasing the awareness of health inequities. We share stories on how partnerships help address health disparities to ultimately achieve our vision of ensuring all people have an opportunity to live as healthy as possible.

Sickle Cell Disease in the Emergency Department: Confronting Barriers to Care

“You’re too pretty to have a disease,” declared the nurse in the emergency department (ED) dismissing Constance Benson’s reports of unbearable pain, a byproduct of her sickle cell disease (SCD). Constance, who is in her late twenties, is a professional actress and model living in Kennesaw, GA. It wasn’t until Constance’s blood tests came back Read More >

Posted on by Guest Bloggers: Mary Hulihan, MPH, DrPH and Mandip Kaur, MPH7 Comments

African Americans and Tobacco Use

man breaking a cigarette in half

My cousin has a dear friend named Paul who is African American and a smoker. The few times I’ve been in Paul’s company, he could barely go two hours without lighting up a cigarette. I remember once while we were waiting to be seated at a restaurant, he stayed outside and smoked until our table Read More >

Posted on by Leandris C. Liburd, PhD, MPH, MA13 Comments

Confronting Cancer with Courage, Confidence, and a Caring Community

Arrow with Cancer, Hope, Health and related words.

Overcast skies and a light drizzle of rain followed Charlotte as she returned to the doctor’s office to find out the results of the needle biopsy of her left breast. So confident that the “white spot” on the mammogram film reflected a small deposit of benign (noncancerous) calcium deposits, she didn’t even consider asking any Read More >

Posted on by Leandris C. Liburd, PhD, MPH, MA4 Comments

“I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired” (Fannie Lou Hamer, 1964) – Why we work to create pathways to health equity

"I'm Sick & Tired of Being Sick & Tired!"

Fannie Lou Hamer – voting rights activist, civil rights leader, and humanitarian, captured the nation’s attention during the 1964 Democratic National Convention, when she described the injustices she and others in her community had endured in their fight for the right to vote. She had been jailed, beaten, and threatened for her advocacy, but didn’t Read More >

Posted on by Leandris C. Liburd, PhD, MPH, MA7 Comments

“When did I get old?”

When Did I Ge Old?

Sitting in her favorite reclining chair and looking out the window of her apartment, Marian reflected on over 40 years of living, working, and raising a family in “The City that Never Sleeps.” She migrated to New York City from North Carolina in her mid-twenties, and would spend the next 4 decades enjoying the parks, Read More >

Posted on by Leandris C. Liburd, PhD, MPH, MA4 Comments

Water Wellness

Water Wellness

I’ve had a longstanding professional interest in cultural perspectives on obesity – particularly among African American women. In fact, it was a central focus of my doctoral studies. I conducted my research between 2001 and 2005, but I continue to be intrigued by the social and cultural meanings ascribed to body size and shape. These Read More >

Posted on by Leandris C. Liburd, PhD, MPH, MA5 Comments

The Image of Equity

AI/AN Woman Doctor

Many of my childhood thoughts of equity related to women’s rights. I grew up at a time when girls could think about growing up to do the things that men did. However, women’s roles in society had just begun to shift, and there were still very few publicly visible role models—particularly for girls of color. Read More >

Posted on by Guest Blogger: Ana Penman-Aguilar, PhD, MPH26 Comments

Making Things Right

Health Is A Human Right

“In short, we urge the nation’s leaders to embrace the idea that an economically vibrant and sustainable American future depends, almost wholly, on a broader vision for equity, one that recognizes that lifting up the least of us will lift up all of us.” Uncommon Common Ground: Race and America’s Future; Blackwell, Kwoh, Pastor; 2010. Read More >

Posted on by Leandris C. Liburd, PhD, MPH, MA12 Comments

Grandfathers / “Abuelos”

Grandfathers

Men’s Health Month and Father’s Day were officially celebrated in June, but as wives, daughters, and partners, every day we recognize the unique social, cultural, and economic challenges affecting men’s health and particularly men of color. I’m excited about the growing attention to men’s health as evidenced by the number of scientific journals devoted to Read More >

Posted on by Leandris C. Liburd, PhD, MPH, MA20 Comments

“…isms” and the pursuit of health equity

Elderly African American Man

Last fall, our office hosted the inaugural “Forum on the State of Health Equity at CDC.” The purpose of the forum was to examine CDC’s progress in the implementation of policies, programs, surveillance, and research that contribute to achieving health equity. We grappled with definitions, measures and indicators, program components, and the infrastructure needed to Read More >

Posted on by Leandris C. Liburd, PhD, MPH, MA5 Comments