In 1969, my parents proudly became homeowners after the Fair Housing Act, signed on April 11, 1968, prohibited housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, and national origin. This is the community and neighborhood where I developed a multicultural perspective for community leadership and engagement to address health equity.
On February 8, 2023, C3EN and West Side United cohosted C3EN’s first town hall at Homan Square. Members of the community, researchers, medical students, and community leaders shared ideas, priorities, and concerns about chronic diseases in their communities in a lively conversation and brainstorming session.
My mother, Jacqueline Reed is the founder of Westside Health Authority. She inspired me with the passions of the Civil Rights Movement and the role of activism and community organizing in improving health and wellness for African American populations.
People want to have a safe place to build. I’m so tired of seeing teddy bears and candles and balloons. At the end of the day, what are you going to do? How we get there, I don’t know. It’s a collective action.