Melding Personal Identity and Health Equity: A Personal Journey

As an individual, I find myself deeply intertwined with the health equity work I am committed to. It’s not just a profession but a personal mission, an extension of who I am and where I come from. It's a tool through which I navigate my life and the lives of those around me. Even when the system threatens to silence my voice, I remain steadfast. Because if I, embedded within the system, find it daunting to navigate, I shudder to think how those on the outside must feel.

I am a proud child of immigrants, a Black woman in a world that often discriminates on both counts. So, when health equity discussions revolve around the higher mortality rate of Black birthing individuals, we're not talking abstract numbers and statistics; we're talking about me. When we debate the increased rates of colon cancer in Black men, it's not just a health issue; it's personal because it concerns my father. When we discuss the linguistic struggles of non-native English speakers, I am reminded of my grandmother unable to read or write in her native tongue let alone English, her experiences are deeply ingrained in me.

The personal is indeed political. My experiences cannot and should not be excluded from these conversations. Conversations about the 'hood' don't just bring back memories of partying in the projects or being slammed against my car by the police in Brockton, MA. They also evoke recollections of the deep faith and investment that my educators and coaches had in me.

Despite pushbacks at work, I remain dedicated to a holistic, community-centered approach to healthcare. My belief is based on my understanding of how immigrant communities operate: change or education begins with one person, then spreads to a household, then to relatives, and gradually to the entire community. It is an intimate domino effect that is impossible to overlook.

So, when I strive to raise awareness about colon cancer risk among Black men in Brockton, my vision extends beyond the confines of the healthcare system I'm a part of. I seek to touch the community at large because I understand that positive changes at the community level will have a beneficial ripple effect on patients.

Through my lens, healthcare often appears as a beast, sustained and exacerbated by capitalist policies and intense competition amongst healthcare systems. Yet, my experiences and identity remind me of an essential truth – capitalism and community care are antithetical, particularly in healthcare.

This intertwining of personal identity with my professional journey isn't something I can or should attempt to sever. It's personal to me. It's deeply personal. And this personal stake should be seen as an asset, a unique skill that informs and guides my approach.

Sometimes, I find myself virtually surrounded by people who may never truly understand my perspective. Yet, I persist. I keep pushing, fighting, because it's a privilege to navigate these spaces. I believe I am called to this work because, through it, I represent many others whose voices are lost in the noise of bureaucratic jargon and institutional indifference.

The truth is, I don’t separate myself from the health equity work I do. In fact, I embrace the overlap, because this fight is not just about health equity, it's about life and I want everyone to have the freedom to live.