Public Health On Call Series—Racism as a Public Health Crisis

Systemic racism erodes the health and well-being of BIPOC individuals and communities. 

In a three-part podcast series from Public Health On Call, guest host Keshia Pollack Porter, chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management, talks with a diverse group of experts and community leaders to unpack how generations of racism continue to impact the health of individuals today.

EPISODE 1: The Impacts of COVID-19 and Racism on Kids, Education, and Health (November 5, 2020)

In the first of a series on racism and health, Keshia Pollack Porter talks with Taylor Porter, a principal at Gamble Montessori High School in Cincinnati with a unique approach to learning that prioritizes the health and well-being of the whole child. Porter talks about COVID-19’s impacts on students and families and how the school has responded. Porter also talks about “pandemic #2”—racial injustice—and how he has spearheaded efforts to train staff while letting youths lead the conversation.

EPISODE 2: Environmental Injustice (November 19, 2020)

Pollution and racism go hand in hand: Low-income, predominantly non-white communities with less capital and political power become dumping zones for hazardous waste and other environmental toxins. As part of an ongoing series on structural racism and public health, Keshia Pollack Porter dives into the topic of environmental injustice with Johns Hopkins environmental epidemiologist Aisha Dickerson and EPA environmental health fellow Dana Williamson.

EPISODE 3: Black Men’s Health (December 2, 2020)

As part of the series on racism as a public health crisis, Keshia Pollack Porter talks with Johns Hopkins professor Roland J. Thorpe, Jr., and Marino A. Bruce, faculty at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, about the impacts of racism on Black men’s health. They discuss what stands in the way of basic care for many Black men with a  focus on making sure Black men not only survive, but thrive.

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