Michael Kelso Jr., MD’s Post

This Black History Month, we're highlighting influential Black voices and organizations who have made an impact on health equity and policy. In an October 2023 Narrative Matters, Maranda C. Ward shares how structural racism gets codified in health care policy, specifically when it comes to dental care coverage. Read more: https://hubs.la/Q02mjlD80

Worldwide values and celebrates the significant contributions Black Americans, such as Dr. James McCune Smith and Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, have made throughout history and will continue to make. We are committed to achieving racial equity in healthcare by celebrating inclusivity and raising awareness of racial biases. Learn more about some of the Black Americans who have revolutionized healthcare today: https://ow.ly/b5Bp50QIVUX

Juneteenth marks a joyous day in American history, commemorating the end of slavery and the official freedom of Black Americans. Yet, as we celebrate liberation, it's crucial to acknowledge the ongoing fight for equality, especially in healthcare.    Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gbuAJQPM

Historically, we know that Black Americans have not received equitable medical treatment. Black History month is a good time to spotlight our efforts to be part of improving how the medical community cares for Black patients. A Pew Research report recently reported on health care, noting that a majority of Black adults say they've had at least one negative interaction with a doctor or other health care provider. Among Black Americans, younger women are the most likely to say they have had negative experiences. You can read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/ehYUvy7Q   Our patients can count on our office staff and medical providers to listen, respond to concerns and offer all the information needed to make informed decisions. As an organization and at each of our clinics, we're dedicated to making sure the people who walk through our doors receive the care they deserve. That's why we ask all our patients for feedback, review what they have to say (Yes...every. Single. Comment!) and if something's not right, we make a change. It's how we ensure we're delivering on our promise to treat you well.

This Black History Month, check out the series BLACK VOICES ON RACE. 🗣️ The United States has been reckoning with race and racism since its inception. Black creatives of all types—novelists, poets, musicians, singers, actors, directors, and more—have used their chosen media to illuminate this struggle and articulate the experience of being Black in America. This fascinating series, written by Black authors, tells the stories of eight Black creatives whose artistic and cultural contributions have expanded the collective conversation on race. Each book summarizes the person’s life and career to date, drawing attention to their accomplishments and how they have spoken out as a voice on race. Each book also includes a table of contents, a “Consider This” special feature, a biographical timeline, informative sidebars, quiz questions, a glossary, additional resources, and an index. This Focus Readers series is at the Navigator level, aligned to reading levels of grades 3-5 and interest levels of grades 4-7. https://lnkd.in/gfSkmK5K

Black woman leaders in San Francisco have recently come under political attack and although I do not have visibility into the details of the accusations I can say with certainty that powerful Black leaders have consistently and regularly been bullied, threatened, and physically harmed in order to remove them from leadership positions for hundreds of years in this country, and so the recent targeting and attempted discrediting of Sheryl Evans Davis, EdD and London Breed for Mayor comes as no surprise. There is a simple and consistent American racist toolbox deployed with impressive regularity that is meant to preserve the economically- and morally-required concept of Whiteness; those tools are deployed toward Black people and consist of, but are not limited to, bullying, humiliation, threats of social, psychological, and physical injury, and intentional violence itself. During London Breed for Mayor ‘s and Sheryl Evans Davis, EdD ‘s tenure we have seen notable progress for San Francisco’s Black communities: 🙌🏼 an unprecedented $120 million reallocated from SFPD to community-based programs of growth and support for Black residents 🙌🏼 HBCU satellites in SF’s downtown 🙌🏼 a completed city-wide plan for Black Reparations 🙌🏼 the planned return of MARCUS BOOKS OF SAN FRANCISCO - the country’s oldest Black bookstore - to San Francisco 🙌🏼 lectures by notable Black writers and intellectuals such as Nikole Hannah-Jones and Ta-Nehisi Coates 🙌🏼 and much more I urge those of you following SF politics - and local politics across the country, for that matter, as more and more Black leaders conveniently come under scrutiny prior to November 5th - to consider that the same tools of the centuries-old racist toolbox are once again playing out and you have an opportunity to vote against White supremacy this fall.

It has been 36 years since Laurence Fishburne urged young Black minds to engage in critical thinking through his powerful performance as "Dap" in Spike Lee's film, "School Daze." Reflecting on this message today, I am reminded of its enduring relevance. For the past 16 years, my sister Kachelle Zachery and I have devoted ourselves to building WATZS Productions, LLC. Our journey started long before that—as young girls captivated by the transformative narrative of "School Daze," a film we watched repeatedly. Now, as adults dedicated to media production, we draw inspiration from it as we chart our company's course. Our purpose-driven media house is committed to ambitious goals with the intent of establishing a lasting legacy for future generations. Recently, while conducting research for WATZS Productions' inaugural docu-series, I encountered an alarming statistic reported by Prosperity Now and the Institute for Policy Studies: the median wealth of Black Americans is projected to fall to zero by 2053! This stark prediction underscores an urgent call to action! As leaders within the media landscape, Kachelle and I are resolute in our mission to educate and empower the Black American community. We believe it is imperative that we invest not only in ourselves but also in our communities and collective knowledge. By doing so over these next 29 years, we can effect meaningful change for future generations.

Historically, we know that Black Americans have not received equitable medical treatment. Black History month is a good time to spotlight our efforts to be part of improving how the medical community cares for Black patients. A Pew Research report recently reported on health care, noting that a majority of Black adults say they've had at least one negative interaction with a doctor or other health care provider. Among Black Americans, younger women are the most likely to say they have had negative experiences. You can read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/ehYUvy7Q   Our patients can count on our office staff and medical providers to listen, respond to concerns and offer all the information needed to make informed decisions. As an organization and at each of our clinics, we're dedicated to making sure the people who walk through our doors receive the care they deserve. That's why we ask all our patients for feedback, review what they have to say (Yes...every. Single. Comment!) and if something's not right, we make a change. It's how we ensure we're delivering on our promise to provide care that is personal.

This Black History Month, we're highlighting influential Black voices and organizations who have made an impact on health equity and policy. In an August 2023 Forefront article, Elaine O. Nsoesie discusses opportunities for using information from internet sources to understand and develop policies to address pre-hospital diagnostic delay for specific condition. Read the full article: https://hubs.la/Q02jWp-h0

🚨Participants Needed🚨 Do you identify as a Black person in the United States who engages in outdoor citizen or community science projects? Citizen and community science projects include iNaturalist, eBird, HerpMapper, volunteer water quality monitoring, the GLOBE apps, or ANY participatory science project where you go OUTDOORS to collect and share data about your environment? Are you interested in learning a technique that could empower actionable change in participatory science projects or other social justice initiatives? Researchers from North Carolina State University are inviting Black individuals engaged in the participatory sciences to write about, discuss, analyze, and co-produce understandings of their individual experiences and how that links to the collective. To learn more and sign up: go.ncsu.edu/safety2