minority health

my health, my community’s health

by Reza Corinne Clifton, guest editor

If health in America were reflected in a medical condition, my guess is it would probably be prediabetic. Notwithstanding the “America is sick” belief, there are disparities in outcomes based on race, ethnicity and zip code that simply won’t go away.

How will we ever get there?

Imagine a United States in which chattel slavery ended almost as soon as it started – or at least one in which the end of the Civil War actually ended the practice of discrimination in America.

Imagine a U.S. in which every teacher saw every student as a vessel to fill – with hope, confidence, intellect and ability.

Finally, imagine a U.S. in which every doctor saw in each of her or his patients a person to treat, cure and regard as her/his very own parent, spouse or child.

These are some of the thoughts that stayed in my subconsciousness, from the minute I began considering and selecting the pieces I’d weave into this edition of She Shines to the very last period I typed on my screen. A patchwork of contradictions regularly darted through my mind – as well as aloud in interviews and at a conference on Health Reporting sponsored by the National Association of Black Journalists: Insured versus Denied; Specialist versus Attending; Fear versus Prevention; Holistic versusPrescription; Yours versus Ours; Life versus Death.

In this edition of She Shines, we focus on both sides of Minority Health. Not what it takes to get to good health with quality access and what it takes without; what it takes with access, and what it looks like when we all have it. This edition of She Shines will help you create your own “action plan” – from examining the rising female incarceration rates through the lens of mental health, as a reminder ofwhat could be our own issue one day, to looking at the potential success rates for all ethnicities and groups when a research study is developed in part by the community.

You see, the question we dare to ask you front and center is “What are you going to do about it?” At YWCA Northern Rhode Island (publisher of She Shines) and RezaRitesRi.com, equitable access is a best practice. We care about the voices and issues of women, people of color, and those from diverse income levels, alternative countries of origin, and other underrepresented groups because it is their inclusion and dignity that make up the fabric from which each of us was founded. But that doesn’t mean we stop there.

In fact, the question is not, ‘what are you going to do about it.’ The question is what are we going to do about it?

What are we going to do to improve the physical and mental health of ourselves and our families? And what are we going to do to improve the physical and mental health of our neighbors?

Remember, act now.

Reza Corinne Clifton’s work can be read and heard at www.RezaRitesRi.com, www.VenusSings.com, www.SheShines.org, and on WRIU, 90.3 FM (www.wriu.org). She is an online publisher, freelance writer, and radio producer whose most recent project, The Rhode 2 Africa, gained her critical acclaim in the community for her exploration of African communities and cultures that are now based in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Pieces of the project aired on WRIU, and community events were held in Providence. Interviews, photographs, a video and other information about the project are located on www.RezaRitesRi.com.

Photo courtesy of Clifton.

Periodically, She Shines includes a guest editor in order to increase the diversity of voices inside the publication. For Spring, just in time for April’s Minority Health Month, we focused on Minority Health.It is the second consecutive year for this theme. As such, Reza Corinne Clifton is welcomed back. Her experience on the topic is evident. She has pulled together a capable team of writers and resources from within our community.

You will notice that the topic of preconception health care is covered. This is a 2009 theme for the Federal Office of Minority Health. At the encouragement of the Rhode Island Office of Minority Health, the topic of mental health is also addressed.

All of these collaborations are appreciated. Readers, your comments are welcome too. Contact She Shines via e-mail, info@sheshines.org. Share it. Trust it. Smile.

Lisa Piscatelli, editor