Panelists at Tri-C Event Explore Racism’s Influence on Health Care

Program continues discussion series launched by Tri-C’s Stand for Racial Justice

The connection between racism and health care is a daily — and sometimes deadly —  reality for people of color in America. 

That was the sentiment shared during a Feb. 24 panel discussion hosted by Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C^®) and its Stand for Racial Justice alliance. More than 600 viewers logged in to the virtual program. 

“The Color of Health: Examining Racism as a Public Health Crisis” explored how systemic racism impacts health equity through social determinants such as housing, education and employment. 

The online event was covered by several media outlets, including cleveland.com and WKSU/89.7 FM, a National Public Radio affiliate. 

Program panelists included:

• Yvonka Marie Hall, executive director of the Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition
• J. Nwando Olayiwola, chair and professor of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at The Ohio State University and chief of family health services for the OSU Health System
• Sherrie D. Williams, a pulmonologist with The MetroHealth System, associate professor at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine and medical director of Tri-C’s Respiratory Therapy program 

The conversation was moderated by Ohio State’s Winston C. Thompson, an internationally recognized scholar with a specialized focus on social, political and ethical issues related to justice and education. 

Hall put today’s health disparities in a historical context during the program: “We know that African Americans have been plagued with persistent race-based disparities that have existed for centuries, and this has impacted their health compared to their white counterparts,” she said. 

Click here to watch a recording of the hourlong program. 

This event was hosted by Tri-C’s Stand for Racial Justice, which seeks to advance racial equity and healing at the College and across Northeast Ohio through education, dialogue and action. The College’s Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center was a co-host. 

Co-sponsors of the program included Ohio State’s Center for Ethics and Human Values, the Ray C. Bliss Institute for Applied Politics at the University of Akron and The City Club of Cleveland.

February 25, 2021

John Horton, 216-987-4281 john.horton@tri-c.edu