How long have you been a member of the Black Health Network, and what drew you to CBHN?  

August 2024 - I have family members and friends who are involved, as well as former Board members and I am eager to learn how to become a more effective change agent in the fight for health equity within our community.

What is your current profession? 

Legal Coordinator | Founding President, National Action Network Orange County

From your perspective, what barriers exist in achieving health equity for Black Californians? 

(1) Not enough doctors who look like me; (2) just like we have the EEOC and CFPB, we need a dedicated protection bureau focused exclusively on healthcare discrimination. This would provide individuals who believe they have faced discrimination within the healthcare system a platform to report their experiences, ensuring they receive prompt responses, thorough investigations, and effective resolutions; (3) the ability to identify instances of discrimination early on to take appropriate action and not being afraid to do so; and (4) not being in denial that it is happening to you — when we conducted the HEAAL health survey to the Black Community in Orange County, only 23% (1 in 5)  believed that they had experienced discrimination while receiving healthcare services - I believe it is not because the remaining 77% had not experienced it but either they don’t recognize it OR maybe are in denial.

Both in your work and with CBHN, how have you been able to prioritize the health of Black Californians? 

I am new to CBHN, so I have not started yet.  In our work so far, data collection, focus groups, hosting community events on Mental Health, Alzheimers, Brain Health, and Aging,  engaging with isolated seniors in assisted living homes, created the following initiatives: (a) Secondhand Smoke Matters - our mission to educate landlords and all communities of Orange County about the health dangers of secondhand smoke and to eliminate involuntary exposure with the goal that by 2033 all multiunit housing units will be smokefree in OC; (b) Genny’s Smile created to address health equity for women of color; and (c) Solo Senior Advocacy - our mission is to advocate for Seniors who are alone, hospitalized, or in nursing facilities and have no family nearby by collaborating with government agencies, other nonprofits, and healthcare providers to develop and implement policies that enhance the quality of care and support services available to seniors in need. 

What inspires you to keep doing the work you do?  

What drives me to continue my work is I hate to see people treated unfairly, ignored, belittled, or dismissed. My sister Dorothy and my friend Genny both had their health symptoms dismissed by doctors I believe because of their race and gender, and without anyone to advocate for them, they suffered preventable deaths. If their symptoms had not been overlooked and if a simple glucose test and cancer screening had been conducted, and/or if they just had an advocate present with them so they wouldn't be ignored, perhaps they would still be here with us.  I am motivated by the hope that I can contribute towards moving the needle in preventing the dismissal of health concerns for Black individuals, especially our seniors, ensure the same treatment options are offered to Black individuals as offered to Whites, and help create policies that promote health equity and improve the health outcome and quality of life for isolated senior citizens, especially Black women.

What's the bravest thing you've ever done? 

Live these last 5 years without my daddy!

What's the best advice you've ever received? 

My dad used to tell me that “you’re only as good as the company you keep”.