Arts and Activism: Building Trust, Empowering Black Communities, and Holding Public Health Institutions Accountable

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.  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.

Today we want to highlight the work of an Atlanta-based artist, 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 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.  These hyperlinks give more information about the Tuskegee experiments and Henrietta Lacks 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.  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.

Sherri's work in Atlanta and our work here in Vermont are only one part of the solution.  For real impact, we need other community partners! For example, Dana and Jake of Sundog Creations 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 if 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 [email protected]g

Meanwhile, enjoy a virtual trip to Atlanta (below) to learn what artist Sherri Daye Scott is doing!

Sherri Daye Scott: "...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 Tuskegee experiment, 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 Henrietta Lacks, 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."

Listen to Sherri's full interview on NPR below. It's great!

Atlanta Artist Spreads COVID-19 Information Through Her Art July 18, 20207:58 AM ET Heard on Weekend Edition Saturday 4-Minute Listen Download 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.