In part two of Black and Disabled with Vilissa Thompson, we dive into the topic of intersectionality. Thompson opens up by talking about how media has traditionally positioned abled people as 'saviors' for the disabled population. Telethons and fundraisers often portray disabled people as people to be pitied over or incapable of living like others in society. "The way we view disabled people is grossly negative and condescending," Thompson says. This negativity will sometimes deter Black people ...
Apr 10, 2023•13 min
We're starting a new series on Black Body Health: The Podcast. This week, you get to meet Vilissa Thompson. For 10 years, Thompson has led Ramp Your Voice! , an organization that promotes empowerment, education, inclusion, and self-advocacy for disabled people like herself. According to the World Health Organization, there are three dimensions of disability Body functions and structure (impairment) Activities at the individual level Restriction in participation in society With this in mind, ther...
Feb 22, 2023•20 min
Welcome back Black Body Health listeners! Here is part three of our Black Veterans series with Black Veterans Project Co-Founder, Richard Brookshire. Did you miss out on part 1? Click here to catch up. Send your feedback to csellars@centerforblackhealth.org CREDITS: Host, Natasha Phelps Producer, Chelsey Sellars Logo Designer, Ashlee Woods...
Feb 07, 2023•43 min
In this episode, we are continuing the conversation with Black Veterans Project Co-Founder, Richard Brookshire. This segment is about the health issues that disproportionately affect Black veterans during service and when they come home. Did you miss out on part 1? Click here to catch up. Send your feedback to csellars@centerforblackhealth.org CREDITS: Host, Natasha Phelps Producer, Chelsey Sellars Logo Designer, Ashlee Woods...
Dec 12, 2022•17 min
Welcome back, Black Body Health listener! Host Natasha Phelps starts off November with part one of our Black Veteran series. In this episode, we introduce you to Richard Brookshire, one of the brilliant minds behind Black Veterans Project . The nonprofit works to advance racial equity for those in and out of uniform by using storytelling and national reporting. They have positioned themselves to be watchdogs of policy and change that could affect the health and well-being of Black veterans. Not ...
Nov 11, 2022•23 min
At The Center for Black Health & Equity, we pledge to support a meaningful and community-driven response to this growing monkeypox (MPX) outbreak. MPX has spread to over 88 nations and we are now under a global health emergency according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Recently, on August 3, 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration officially declared MPX a public health emergency in the United States. This critical development aims to free up emergency funding, coordinate a nationwide ...
Sep 19, 2022•42 min
Have a seat, let us drape you, and welcome to Black Body Health the Barbershop! Kidding, this is another great podcast episode where fabulous host Natasha Phelps interviews two guests about Black health. More specifically, Black men’s health. In this country, Black men have the lowest life expectancy compared to men and women of other racial and ethnic groups. Stigma , proper access to healthcare, and other socioeconomic details contribute to this disparity. So what are medical and public health...
Aug 05, 2022•1 hr 3 min
It’s hot hot hot almost anywhere you go. With record heat baking the United States and Europe , during UV Safety Month, we felt that a discussion about skin cancer in Black people was vital. Yes, our melanin is more than just beautiful – it provides protection. However, the amount of protection it gives us from the sweltering sun is not enough to hit the beach without sufficient sunscreen. While Black people are less likely to be diagnosed with skin cancer, we are more likely to die from it due ...
Jul 22, 2022•19 min
At the start of June, many multimillion-dollar companies changed the color scheme of their logos to rainbows. While sharing social media posts saying #LoveIsLove – how many of them believe it and make it part of their company culture? Enjoy the floats, music, and festivities all Pride Month long but understand that Pride is a movement for LGBTQ+ activists. There has been progress in some sectors, but we have also seen recent legislation that is creating a setback – yes Texas and Florida , we’re ...
Jun 22, 2022•1 hr 15 min
In the late 90s, pharmaceutical companies created opioids so doctors can treat patients with chronic or severe pain. Misuse and overprescribing of these drugs have turned a solution into a health crisis – often highlighted in predominantly white communities . Yet in recent years, there has been a shift. The number of Black people who have overdosed on opioids has increased by about 40 percent as other groups see a decrease in cases. In this episode of Black Body Health: The Podcast, Natasha expl...
Jun 13, 2022•48 min
This week, Black Body Health The Podcast starts off a little heavy. A draft from the U.S. Supreme Court potentially striking down on abortion rights was leaked to the press. People across the country are marching to protest on what could be a major infringement of our right to privacy. Host Natasha Phelps elaborates on this concern before starting the main discussion: the need to rest and sleep. When was the last time you had some adequate, consistent sleep? Can you think of the last time you to...
May 20, 2022•1 hr 12 min
We are about a week away from No Menthol Sunday , a national faith-based observance day put on by The Center for Black Health & Equity . It is an opportunity to engage faith communities in tough conversations about how menthol and tobacco addiction have robbed us of community health for generations. One could say it’s poetic that as we prepare to embrace No Menthol Sunday on May 15, the FDA announces the rule-making process to ban menthol in tobacco products . Though we celebrate the histori...
May 06, 2022•1 hr 13 min
It started with a little abdominal pain, but it progressed as the day went on. Within hours, she had to endure an emergency surgery. That’s just a part of Sterling Fulton ’s story. You’ve heard her on Black Body Health: The Podcast before , speaking as the Director of Evaluation for The Center for Black Health & Equity . But this week, Sterling joins host Natasha Phelps to talk about her journey with uterine fibroids. Alongside her is Dr.Stacey Wells , a hospitalist working in Houston, Texas...
Apr 22, 2022•1 hr 3 min
Happy April! Springtime is among us – the birds are chirping louder, your neighbors are cutting the grass, and you are probably listening to this podcast while driving down a snowless road. This is a great moment to start reconnecting to nature, and our guests on this week’s episode of Black Body Health: The Podcast would agree. Meet Jordan Bethea , production manager for Backyard Basecamp located in the Baltimore area. He’s a first generation farmer working to help Black people in their nature ...
Apr 08, 2022•1 hr 19 min
Can a war in Europe tamper with the legitimacy of the content you’re scrolling through on social media? Of course! We often go on social media for a quick laugh or some inspiration, but we also use it to learn and stay up to date with what is going on in the world. If something piques your interest, you are bound to share it with others but how often do you check if it’s factual before you send it? This week, Natasha Phelps pulls apart the topic of disinformation, misinformation and how it infec...
Mar 25, 2022•56 min
So what IS at the end of your fork – have you thought about that today? It’s National Nutrition Month and there’s no time like the present to make a healthy lifestyle change. Yes, proper eating choices and physical activity matter — and the more you put off addressing that, the harsher the consequences may be. We invite Holly Branch, Food and Nutrition Program Manager for The Center for Black Health & Equity , to talk on Black Body Health this week. Branch manages this program funded by the ...
Mar 11, 2022•1 hr 3 min
A trip to the doctor’s office is not always the most comforting experience. We have to come in and share details about ourselves, hoping and expecting this person in a white coat to help us. But imagine how much better would it be if you knew the doctor was someone just like you? We need more Black doctors, and – slowly – that may be changing. An article from NPR says the number of first-year med students went up by 21% in the last year. Changes to admission procedures and waived application fee...
Feb 28, 2022•43 min•Season 2Ep. 2
We are Blackity Black Black all year long, but it is expressed even more so during Black History Month. Your social media feeds are probably flooding with quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which is great, but February gives us a chance to honor and discuss all aspects of Black history. Right now you can download our new resource, ‘ Health Justice in Tobacco Control’ . This training guide takes you on a journey to understand how the commercial tobacco industry has had a grip on Black health...
Feb 11, 2022•45 min•Season 2Ep. 1
We’re about a month into 2022, so the ‘New Year, New Me’ energy is still in the air. The team and voices behind Black Body Health: The Podcast are feeling it too. With that in mind, change is coming for our fun podcast and we hope you’re ready for it! Aidil Ortiz and Ritney Castine hop on the podcast as co-hosts one more time to reminisce and pass the baton to our new host, Natasha Phelps. Natasha is the Director for Equity-Centered Policy for The Center for Black Health & Equity. Her depart...
Jan 28, 2022•32 min•Season 2Ep. 1
On World AIDS Day, let’s take it up a notch and take a walk at the ball! For decades we have used this day to spread awareness and advocate for the end of the HIV epidemic, but we cannot talk about the good fight without mentioning the ballroom scene. Mainstream shows and documentaries like Pose , How Do I Look? , Paris is Burning , and Legendary have given most of us a peek into the world of ballroom. The culture started in New York City by Black people, primarily those in the LGBT+ community. ...
Dec 01, 2021•1 hr
Menthol amplifies nicotine addiction, making it easier for people to start smoking but harder for them to quit. Knowing this, the tobacco industry marketed menthol combustible cigarettes to African Americans for decades. Yet in 2009, when the federal government banned flavored cigarettes, menthol was the blatant exemption. In April of 2021, after years of inexplicable delay, a federal lawsuit brought by plaintiffs including the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council forced the FDA t...
Nov 10, 2021•13 min
Politicians and school boards around the country want critical race theory out of their systems. They are heading for an end to the “divisive subject” that focuses on the country’s racial history and problems. Ironically, that is why critical race theory exists today. The older generation fought for the civil rights of Black people but when it was time to experience the change, they noticed that the new policies missed the mark. In the 80s, as constitutional laws were failing the Black community...
Oct 08, 2021•48 min
The plant goes by many names but the question is simple -- does legalizing marijuana help or hurt the Black community? Aidil, like many of us, was first told that marijuana is a gateway drug when she was in grade school. Ritney says the church calls it the Devil’s lettuce. The reputation marijuana has in our society has evolved; marijuana is now considered to be medicine and acceptable for recreational use. States like New York and Ohio are already looking at how the tax revenue from recreationa...
Sep 24, 2021•28 min
Money, cash, pesos -- whatever you call it, it will affect your health. You can’t put a price on good health, but a capitalist society will nickel and dime it regardless. Money and the Black community have a relationship that has evolved over time. The rise and fall of Black Wall Street helped and hurt our pockets. An overall lack of financial literacy has made it difficult for some Black people to gain and sustain wealth, along with the harsh fees and practices credit companies have in place. T...
Sep 10, 2021•40 min
Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths found in the uterus; Black women make up a quarter of all diagnoses in the United States. Yet there are few groups and advocates to speak on it until now. The Center for Black Health & Equity is expanding -- with more grants comes more exciting work and opportunities! In this episode, Aidil and Ritney introduce The Center’s newest program manager Shayla Compton. Shayla says her personal struggle with fibroids and that of her loved ones motivated her ...
Aug 27, 2021•24 min
Oh, you thought we were finished talking about mental health? Not just yet. Hundreds of talented athletes are in Tokyo, Japan for the 2020 (thanks COVID) Olympic Games. Many people have been tuning in to see some of their favorite American athletes compete such as Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all time. The young 24-year-old Black woman has become a household name and inspiration to many, so imagine the backlash Biles received when she pulled out of the gymnastic competitions due t...
Aug 13, 2021•34 min
It’s Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, but does the term “minority” still work for our current society? Is the term BIPOC (Black or Indigenous people of color) that much better? Black Body Health podcast Host Aidil Ortiz and Dr. Nadia Robinson discuss these questions in this week’s podcast. Dr. Robinson is the founder and executive director of No More Martyrs ; a campaign working to support Black women and girls with mental health concerns. She and her team recently hosted their 5th Annual...
Jul 30, 2021•28 min
Holy and healthy might be found under the same roof. In episode 20, Ritney Castine and Aidil Ortiz talk about how the religious institution may be trying to save us in more ways than one. Historically, Black people have gone to faith-based institutions as a safe space to discuss matters beyond religion. Castine explains how the Christian church has been a place to promote generational health and wellness. Churches are often used as hubs for public health outreach and as facilities to provide hea...
Jul 19, 2021•36 min
The tables have turned in this latest episode - we put our podcast host Aidil Ortiz in the hot seat. Most of us know her as such and recognize her extensive resume in public health, but little did Ortiz know her work would lead her to a bicycling and pedestrian commission in Durham. Think about the city or neighborhood you live in right now. Do you have sidewalks and clean parks, or bike trails? Can you hear the trains as they come by; is the interstate built over your home? These kinds of quest...
Jul 01, 2021•29 min•Ep. 19
It’s been 40 years since the first case of HIV was reported in the United States. As we reach this anniversary, Black Body Health The Podcast reflects on how our society has navigated through this epidemic. In light of National HIV Testing Day, this episode will tell you about the importance of knowing your status and the commonly expressed barriers of getting tested. J. Donte`Prayer, health access coordinator for North Carolina AIDS Action Network joins our podcast. We also have Torrain Baskerv...
Jun 16, 2021•51 min
