00:00Welcome to the Health Equity Cypher. We're going to talk to you today about
00:03really the importance of the Black community and where we
00:06stand in some myths and break some myths when it comes to this
00:09current crisis around COVID-19. So I brought my colleagues around
00:13along with us today. So first we have Dr. Toni Lewis. Can you tell us a little bit
00:17about what you've been hearing in the streets and what you've been hearing
00:19from folks from Black folks around COVID-19 and some myths and some
00:23opportunities for improvement? Yes ma'am. So you know so as a doctor and a healer
00:28and a community person, I'm hearing from my sisters and families that they feel
00:32like they've lost their peace and their power. Like they don't know what's going
00:35on and that they don't know what they're going to do.
00:37So like in terms of how to reclaim your peace and power
00:40in your home, like the first thing, check on yourself, be okay. This moment's a
00:45little crazy so if you feel a little out of it, need a nap, need a break,
00:48take it. Call your sister girls, get your snack, do what you got to do.
00:52Take a deep breath. And in terms of your power, like figure out that you know you
00:56can resource your inventory, like inventory your resources.
00:59See what you have in your home already in terms of your medications,
01:03in your family, in terms of all those herbal good recipes,
01:06in your community, in terms of all of the doctors, nurses,
01:10friends, healers, colleagues that know how to get you, where to get you, when to get
01:14you, so that you have a tribe that helps you through this and helps you to
01:18reclaim your peace and your power in these COVID streets.
01:22Thank you so much. And so, you know, you mentioned peace and power
01:26and spirituality. Let's talk about you, Siobhan Arline Bradley. Let's talk a little
01:30bit about how the faith community, the Black faith community has been dealing
01:33with and should deal with the crisis that we're
01:36dealing with right now.
01:37But one of the things that we know about Black faith communities is that
01:40faith and health are always connected. You cannot have any conversations about
01:45your spirit without having your mind and your body connected to it.
01:48And so one of the things that we want to share with faith leaders across this
01:52country, and even parishioners, regardless if you go to a church, a mosque,
01:55whatever your religious affiliation is, congregating right now is not safe.
02:00It is important for you to understand that the church, the building that you
02:04find your place of worship does not make you the church. You can be the church or the
02:08faith institution for wherever you are. For pastors that are concerned about not having
02:13service, this does not mean that you do not have faith. Faith means that you know that
02:18getting on the other side of this is the most important thing. Making sure the
02:21health and welfare of your congregants becomes the priority.
02:24So make sure you pick up the phone. Having phone trees and phone calls for
02:28prayer and time for services by phone for folks that have access to technology,
02:33using Zoom platforms and web platforms that allow people to have opportunity to
02:37see. My six-year-old just had Sunday school on Sunday on Zoom as a six-year-old.
02:42So these are great opportunities for you. And don't forget this, that God is in
02:46control of everything. For those of you that are in faith and understand your spirit,
02:49you know that this is bigger than all of us. And we will get to the other side,
02:53but we have to make the right decisions and the right choices for us to see the other side.
02:57Thank you so much, Siobhan. I appreciate that. So Anton Gunn, ending with you,
03:01let's talk a little bit. She mentioned choices and policy. Let's talk about our political choices
03:06right now. And what should Black people be thinking about in the face of this crisis when it
03:10comes to our current elections and the choices we have to make, important choices?
03:13Yeah, that's a great point. This is what I first started with was a quote from Winston Churchill,
03:19who once said, never ever waste a good crisis. And that was political speak for when a crisis happens,
03:27this is the opportunity for you to be able to do something bigger than the crisis itself. So that
03:32begs the question, these candidates that are running for president or running for governor,
03:37or want to be the mayor in your city, what are they doing in the midst of this crisis that is bigger than the
03:42crisis itself? And so you hear a lot of sound bites from politicians that want to talk about
03:47giving everybody health insurance coverage. But health insurance coverage doesn't go far enough,
03:51because you can have full health insurance coverage right now and still get the coronavirus.
03:55So the question is, what are you going to do once you have it? So you need to look beyond
04:00the politicians and the sound bites and then see what their plans are for building the public health
04:04infrastructure in your community. How do they make sure there are more Black doctors in your
04:08neighborhood and your community to help treat you? How can you make sure that your local health
04:13department actually has resources available to treat you and your need so you don't have to go across
04:18town to somebody else's hospital? So we got to get beyond the sound bite that these politicians are
04:24driving and find elected leaders who are willing to use this crisis to advance health equity and
04:30advance outcomes to make sure that for Black folks, health care is a right and health is a right.
04:36Yes, thank you. The right to health means so important right now. And this is an opportunity
04:40for us to really, as a country, really believe that everyone has value and should have the right to
04:45health. And so on that, I want you to my colleague, Dr. Tony Lewis to end us on a note about what we
04:50could do next. How can you hear from us next? Howdy, fam. So if you want to continue this conversation
04:55with us, please follow us on our Facebook page at HealthEquityCypher and also check us out at
05:00HealthEquityCypher.com. Thank you so much. Be safe, be healthy, and stay home.
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