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<channel><title><![CDATA[CLEMMONS FAMILY FARM - Cancelling Miss Rona]]></title><link><![CDATA[https://www.clemmonsfamilyfarm.org/cancel-miss-rona]]></link><description><![CDATA[Cancelling Miss Rona]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 05 Mar 2026 05:06:12 -0500</pubDate><generator>Weebly</generator><item><title><![CDATA[Arts and Activism: Building Trust, Empowering Black Communities, and Holding Public Health Institutions Accountable]]></title><link><![CDATA[https://www.clemmonsfamilyfarm.org/cancel-miss-rona/arts-and-activism-building-trust-empowering-black-communities-and-holding-public-health-institutions-accountable]]></link><comments><![CDATA[https://www.clemmonsfamilyfarm.org/cancel-miss-rona/arts-and-activism-building-trust-empowering-black-communities-and-holding-public-health-institutions-accountable#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Tue, 21 Jul 2020 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.clemmonsfamilyfarm.org/cancel-miss-rona/arts-and-activism-building-trust-empowering-black-communities-and-holding-public-health-institutions-accountable</guid><description><![CDATA[July 21, 2020. Hi Everybody! We've been gathering a ton of information about COVID 19 prevention and wellness behaviors and communication campaigns among Black/African-American communities across the US. It's inspiring to see how Black artists have stepped up and joined the effort to help their communities.&nbsp; We'll soon be holding a Zoom meeting with our network of collaborating artists around Vermont to share the information and many examples we've gathered and to start some early brainstor [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="paragraph"><strong>July 21, 2020.</strong> <font color="#515151">Hi Everybody! We've been gathering a ton of information about COVID 19 prevention and wellness behaviors and communication campaigns among Black/African-American communities across the US. It's inspiring to see how Black artists have stepped up and joined the effort to help their communities.&nbsp;</font> <span style="color:rgb(34, 34, 34)">We'll soon be holding a Zoom meeting with our network of collaborating artists around Vermont to share the information and many examples we've gathered and to start some early brainstorming. We'll keep you posted on how that meeting goes.</span><br><br><font color="#515151">Today we want to highlight the work of an Atlanta-based artist,&nbsp;Sherri Daye Scott, who is leading the same kind of work there that we are starting here in Vermont. She calls her art-public health campaign "Big Acts, Small Acts". We&nbsp;are sharing below an excerpt from Sherri's recent interview and the link for you to listen to the entire 4-minute broadcast on NPR.&nbsp; These hyperlinks give more information about the <a href="https://www.history.com/news/the-infamous-40-year-tuskegee-study" target="_blank">Tuskegee experiments</a> and <a href="https://www.health.com/mind-body/henrietta-lacks" target="_blank">Henrietta Lacks</a>&nbsp;that Sherri references in her interview. They are examples of racism in the medical and public health systems and they explain part of the reasons for some Black communities' lack of trust in these systems.&nbsp; In the context of Vermont's work to prevent the spread of COVID 19 and to help Black residents stay healthy, it's clear that there is going to be a need for trust and empowering communication between our Black communities and the medical and public health practitioners in Vermont.<br><br>Sherri's work in Atlanta and our work here in Vermont are only one part of the solution.&nbsp; For real impact, we need other community partners! For example, Dana and Jake of <a href="https://sundogcreations.com/" target="_blank">Sundog Creations</a> just reached out to us to offer PRO BONO video and webdesign services. Are we happy about that? OH, YES WE ARE! We are happy because with Jake and Dana's help we'll be able to share all of the information and resources we've been collecting in an attractive and user-friendly way. We are a small team, volunteer-led, with limited funds for this work. So i</font>f you are interested in offering some pro bono services, helping us mobilize funds, or helping us to connect to others to expand this important work, please reach out to us at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:contact@clemmonsfamilyfarm.org" target="_blank">contact@clemmonsfamilyfarm.or</a>g<br><br>Meanwhile, enjoy a virtual trip to Atlanta (below) to learn what&nbsp;<span style="color:rgb(81, 81, 81)">artist Sherri Daye Scott is doing!</span></div><blockquote><strong style="color:rgb(252, 252, 252)">Sherri Daye Scott:</strong><font color="#FCFCFC">&nbsp;</font><em><font color="#FCFCFC">"...the truth is there is a longstanding distrust in the African American community of the health care system and medical science. And it's rooted in good reason. You know, the</font> <strong><u><font color="#D5D5D5" size="5"><a href="https://www.history.com/news/the-infamous-40-year-tuskegee-study" target="_blank"><font color="#D5D5D5">Tuskegee experiment</font></a>,</font></u></strong> <font color="#FCFCFC">where generations of Black men were allowed to live with syphilis for testing and studying purposes long after penicillin had been invented - you know, that's very present today in the mind of Black families, particularly here in the South. You look at</font> <u><strong><a href="https://www.health.com/mind-body/henrietta-lacks" target="_blank"><font color="#D5D5D5" size="5">Henrietta Lacks</font></a></strong></u><font color="#FCFCFC"><font size="5">,</font> you know, whose DNA was used to develop vaccines and testing. And yet she was never properly cared for. You know, these stories are very present. So the issue, I think, a lot of times when we see these kind of medical messages going out - they're coming from sources that have not already built equity in the community. And so I think what we were able to tap into just by - I live in southwest Atlanta. A lot of these artists live and work in southwest Atlanta. Their work has been up in these communities for years. You know, so by just tapping into, hey, we're your neighbors and friends, and we're telling you this, taking the time and effort to push this message out to you, that resonates, I think. And I hope to see other cities, other grassroots efforts take this model and fly with it, too."</font></em></blockquote><div class="paragraph"><strong><font size="5">Listen to Sherri's full interview on NPR below. It's great!</font></strong></div><div><div id="717523108256412092" align="left" style="width: 100%; overflow-y: hidden;" class="wcustomhtml">Atlanta Artist Spreads COVID-19 Information Through Her Art July 18, 20207:58 AM ET Heard on Weekend Edition Saturday 4-Minute Listen Download <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/892579342/892579343" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"></iframe> Transcript NPR's Scott Simon speaks to artist Sherri Daye Scott about her grassroots campaign Big Facts, Little Acts, which spreads public health information through art.</div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Masks Can Be Beautiful...]]></title><link><![CDATA[https://www.clemmonsfamilyfarm.org/cancel-miss-rona/masks-can-be-beautiful]]></link><comments><![CDATA[https://www.clemmonsfamilyfarm.org/cancel-miss-rona/masks-can-be-beautiful#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2020 05:17:58 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.clemmonsfamilyfarm.org/cancel-miss-rona/masks-can-be-beautiful</guid><description><![CDATA[     Artist: Malik Seneferu:  maliksart.com   &#8203;July 13, 2020.&nbsp;Hello everyone! It's Edom again, the new Clemmons Family Farm student intern hard at work! Hope you all are continuing to stay happy and healthy. I have enlisted three other incoming first year University of Vermont medical students (Kristen Wright, Mia Exume and Erik Zhang) who have volunteered to work with me, Lydia and the Clemmons Family Farm. We are compiling data about Black Americans' current practices, attitudes, mo [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div class="wsite-image wsite-image-border-none " style="padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;text-align:left"> <a> <img src="https://www.clemmonsfamilyfarm.org/uploads/3/8/2/4/38246689/editor/screen-shot-2020-07-12-at-20-25-50.png?1594617785" alt="Picture" style="width:444;max-width:100%" /> </a> <div style="display:block;font-size:90%"> Artist: Malik Seneferu:  maliksart.com</div> </div></div>  <div class="paragraph" style="text-align:justify;"><br /><strong>&#8203;July 13, 2020.&nbsp;</strong><span style="color:rgb(28, 30, 33)">Hello everyone! It's Edom again, the new Clemmons Family Farm student intern hard at work! Hope you all are continuing to stay happy and healthy. I have enlisted three other incoming first year University of Vermont medical students (Kristen Wright, Mia Exume and Erik Zhang) who have volunteered to work with me, Lydia and the Clemmons Family Farm. We are compiling data about Black Americans' curre</span><span style="color:rgb(28, 30, 33)">nt practices, attitudes, motivators and barriers related to COVID 19 prevention and wellness. We are also looking at other COVID 19 prevention and wellness campaigns for Black/African-Americans in the US to learn from others before we dive into creating our own campaign for Black Vermonters with some of the Farm's collaborating artists.<br /><br />We are finding a literal treasure trove of countless talented artists across the U.S. who are using their gifts to spread the message regarding COVID-19 and how to stay safe and well.<br /><br />As we all know, we are not only living through a pandemic, we are also living through a turbulent social climate that puts many of us Black people between a rock and a hard place. While the systemic racism within medicine has put our Black community in a dangerously vulnerable position with COVID-19, the continued social injustices make it difficult for our community to follow some of the so-called "simple" guidelines, like wearing a mask, to protect themselves and their loved ones.<br /><br />Today I am sharing a visual art piece that was created by artist Malik Seneferu&nbsp;in collaboration with the San Francisco Human Rights Commission.&nbsp;Malik created posters with colorful images and the words &ldquo;Masks can be beautiful&rdquo; to address many of our Black community members' concerns about face coverings (i.e. that they can perpetuate negative stereotypes of Black people as untrustworthy, suspicious or criminal). What I personally admire about Malik&rsquo;s work is his message to change the way we all see masks-- from something that makes us appear threatening to something more positive: something beautiful or even a heroic form of activism. Although there are continuous barriers in society and medicine for our Black community, educational art work like Malik&rsquo;s posters are a good start to normalize COVID-19 prevention practices for everyone. I can't wait to see what our collaborating artists create with us for our new COVID 19 prevention and wellness campaign in Vermont.&nbsp; We are almost ready to have a meeting with them to debrief on what I've been learning and to start the brainstorming!<br /><br />For more information about the artist and his beautiful work, visit:&nbsp;<a href="http://maliksart.com/?fbclid=IwAR1-qY0ihf2dokdtGfw_YgHVZ0DFkSqYcnJNYIqcCRVxX24tI7ieOW6BYIA" target="_blank">maliksart.com/</a></span></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hello, Everyone!]]></title><link><![CDATA[https://www.clemmonsfamilyfarm.org/cancel-miss-rona/hello-everybody]]></link><comments><![CDATA[https://www.clemmonsfamilyfarm.org/cancel-miss-rona/hello-everybody#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2020 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.clemmonsfamilyfarm.org/cancel-miss-rona/hello-everybody</guid><description><![CDATA[       July 10, 2020.&nbsp;Hello, everyone! My name is Edom Girma. I am originally from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and moved to the U.S. when I turned 18. I will soon be starting my first year of medical school at the University of Vermont! When I saw a Clemmons Family Farm student intern opportunity posted in the Robert Larner College of Medicine newsletter, I JUMPED ON IT. I am beyond thrilled because I will get to work with 5-10 of their collaborating artists to develop a creative COVID-19 prevent [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div class="wsite-image wsite-image-border-none " style="padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px;text-align:left"> <a> <img src="https://www.clemmonsfamilyfarm.org/uploads/3/8/2/4/38246689/published/ae9fb104-4f96-4012-8a3f-2d91a188b7e0-1-201-a.jpeg?1594617200" alt="Picture" style="width:auto;max-width:100%" /> </a> <div style="display:block;font-size:90%"></div> </div></div>  <div class="paragraph"><strong style="color:rgb(42, 42, 42)">July 10, 2020.&nbsp;</strong><span style="color:rgb(42, 42, 42)">Hello, everyone! My name is Edom Girma. I am originally from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and moved to the U.S. when I turned 18. I will soon be starting my first year of medical school at the University of Vermont! When I saw a Clemmons Family Farm student intern opportunity posted in the Robert Larner College of Medicine newsletter, I JUMPED ON IT. I am beyond thrilled because I will get to work with 5-10 of their collaborating artists to develop a creative COVID-19 prevention and</span><span style="color:rgb(42, 42, 42)">&nbsp;wellness communication campaign for Black/African-American Vermonters.&#8203;&#8203;</span><br /><br /><font color="#2a2a2a">Even though I've worked on health education projects in the past, none of them took the creative approach that the Clemmons Family Farm is taking to combine arts, science and communication to help our people. Right now, Lydia has me researching current prevention and wellness practices among Black/African-American communities around the US, what motivates different types of people to wear masks, socially distance, wash hands, etc. and also what can make it difficult or discourage us from doing these things. I'm also looking at other COVID-19 prevention and wellness communication campaigns for Black people around the US to see what we can learn from these examples. In a week or so, I'll be meeting remotely with some of the Farm's collaborating artists to discuss what I've found out and to start some creative brainstorming. I'm so excited about all of this and will be sharing my progress with all of you as I move forward.<br />&#8203;</font><br /><font color="#2a2a2a">By the way, I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Northern Colorado where I received a B.S. in Biology and a Master of Science at Drexel University College of Medicine. I am also an artist. During my spare time, I love to paint. I hope to not only deepen my understanding of public health but also how the arts can be used as a tool in medicine. This work is so important. Thank you to Haymarket People's Fund for their support for this exciting project. Tomorrow, I'll share some art with you!</font></div>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>