Systemic Dan Kimbrough/Park Multimedia

In this episode of Systemic, we hear from food activist Clancy Harrison and discuss the issues of food insecurity and The Food Dignity® Movement. 
Clancy shares stories from her 14 years of experience from a nutritionist to fighting hunger, and explains The Food Dignity® Movement's approach of centering their work around other's lived experiences. We learn about the different levels of food security and insecurity and the internal and external stigmas associated with food assistance.
Clancy also discusses some of the systemic roots of inequities in the food system and offers insights from those she's spoken to and worked with on dismantling biases to better empower communities. 
As a food equity advocate, registered dietitian, and TEDx speaker, Clancy Harrison challenges the way food insecurity is approached and discussed. She is the founder of the Food Dignity® Movement, a strategic program for leaders who want to shift how they approach nutrition outreach by making healthy food access a priority with dignity. Currently, Clancy is an advisory board member for the Pennsylvania American Academy of Pediatrics Food Insecurity EPIC program, Ambassador of the National Dairy Council, and a past President of the Al Beech West Side Food Pantry where she has served over 4 million meals during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can tune in weekly with Clancy at The Food Dignity® Podcast.
 
Food Dignity Podcast  -
Structural Racism Exists Within the System Supporting Food Access - 
https://fooddignitymovement.org/podcast/episode-150-structural-racism-exists-within-the-system-supporting-food-access/
A Case for a Food Bill of Rights - 
https://fooddignitymovement.org/podcast/episode-124-a-case-for-a-food-bill-of-rights/
Culturally-Focused Nutrition, a Today’s Dietitian Spring Symposium Feature - 
https://fooddignitymovement.org/podcast/episode-109-culturally-focused-nutrition-a-todays-dietitian-spring-symposium-feature/
This episode of Systemic is sponsored by The Black Equity Coalition. The Black Equity Coalition is a group of experts from diverse fields working tirelessly to address institutional racism and structural impediments that continue to plague Black, undervalued, and underserved communities. Initially focused on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Coalition has committed to working towards racial and health equity beyond the pandemic's eventual end by engaging the disparities in the five social determinants of health for the underserved (Our necessary means of health and survival).
Through the collective efforts of physicians, researchers, epidemiologists, public health and health care practitioners, social scientists, community funders, and government officials, the Black Equity Coalition is dedicated to ensuring that vulnerable populations have access to health, well-being, and economic stability.
For more information, visit blackequitypgh.org

In this episode of Systemic our host Dan Kimbrough sits down with Cleveland Way of the Poise Foundation and the Black Equity Coalition.
We discuss how the Black Equity Coalition is working to address health disparities and inequities facing Black communities in Pennsylvania. In this episode, Cleveland Way, the Community Engagement Manager with the coalition, discusses their work focusing on COVID-19 vaccinations and beyond. They are partnering with over 150 community organizations and "ambassadors" already serving Black communities to enhance their efforts and provide resources.
Cleveland explains how their equity-focused approach aims to give communities what they need rather than a one-size-fits-all solution. Hear how data collection and a focus on social determinants of health will help continue improving health outcomes in Black communities in Pennsylvania.
To learn more about the Poise Foundation - https://www.poisefoundation.org/
To learn more about the Black Equity Coalition - https://www.blackequitypgh.org/
To follow up with Cleveland - cway@poisefdn.org
This episode of Systemic is sponsored by The Black Equity Coalition. The Black Equity Coalition is a group of experts from diverse fields working tirelessly to address institutional racism and structural impediments that continue to plague Black, undervalued, and underserved communities. Initially focused on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Coalition has committed to working towards racial and health equity beyond the pandemic's eventual end by engaging the disparities in the five social determinants of health for the underserved (Our necessary means of health and survival).
Through the collective efforts of physicians, researchers, epidemiologists, public health and health care practitioners, social scientists, community funders, and government officials, the Black Equity Coalition is dedicated to ensuring that vulnerable populations have access to health, well-being, and economic stability.
For more information, visit blackequitypgh.org

Hollywood’s representation of underserved and marginalized populations has been under scrutiny since the first film flickered. Authentic storytelling that fully embraces the complexity and vibrancy of any people must be rooted in, and informed by, those people. Early in the 20th Century, film provided a window to the lives, stories, and narratives of those far and wide. And, as we learned from the comic book industry, with great power, comes great responsibility! Unfortunately, many early filmmakers used this power to further spread inaccuracies and hatred. One of these most famous films is “Birth of a Nation,” D. W. Griffith's 1915 adaptation of the 1905 novel, “The Clansmen.” It tells the story of two families dealing with the fallout of the civil war with a very slanted view. To contrast, early Black filmmaker and novelist Oscar Micheaux wrote and directed the 1919 film “The Homesteader,” which chronicled life for Black Americans during post-civil War, but from an authentic perspective, offering a counter-argument to Griffith and the work of other filmmakers at the time. In this episode of Systemic, our host Dan Kimbrough sits down with Dr. Charlene Regester from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Dr. Regester teaches in the Department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies, and her work focuses on early black film history, including black filmmakers, actresses, actors, and performers.Our discussion looks at the life and works of Oscar Micheaux and how we almost lost them; the film-going and artistic experience for Black people in the early 20th century; and the lessons filmmakers and society as a whole should learn from these early efforts.

On the episode of Systemic our host, Dan Kimbrough, sits down with Dr. Angela Odoms-Young, an Associate Professor, and  Director of the Food and Nutrition Education in Communities Program, in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University
Her research explores social and structural determinants of dietary behaviors and diet-related diseases in low-income and Black/Latinx populations and centers on identifying culturally appropriate programs and policies that promote health equity, food justice, and community resilience. Dr. Odoms-Young has over 20 years’ experience partnering with communities to improve nutrition and health and 200+ academic publications, book chapters, and presentations.
We discuss food insecurity from a historical and holistic standpoint, examining how many social determinants of health tie into systemic insecurities and barriers for many communities, not just those of color.  
To reach Dr. Odoms-Young - odoms-young@cornell.edu
This episode of Systemic is sponsored by The Black Equity Coalition. The Black Equity Coalition is a group of experts from diverse fields working tirelessly to address institutional racism and structural impediments that continue to plague Black, undervalued, and underserved communities. Initially focused on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Coalition has committed to working towards racial and health equity beyond the pandemic's eventual end by engaging the disparities in the five social determinants of health for the underserved (Our necessary means of health and survival).
Through the collective efforts of physicians, researchers, epidemiologists, public health and health care practitioners, social scientists, community funders, and government officials, the Black Equity Coalition is dedicated to ensuring that vulnerable populations have access to health, well-being, and economic stability.
For more information, visit blackequitypgh.org
 
Asst. Editor - Brandon Carpenella

On this episode of Systemic, our host Dan Kimbrough sits down with Dr. Melissa Anyiwo. Dr. Anyiwo is an Associate Professor of History and Coordinator of Black Studies at the University of Scranton, Pennsylvania. She is also the Co-Chair of the Vampire Studies Area of the National Popular Culture Association. A transplanted Nigerian-British citizen with a background in race, gender, diversity, and visual archetypes, she writes and presents on vampires and their connection to racial and gendered stereotypes.  She has published several works on teaching diversity using these images. 
Our discussion examines will look at the policing of Black bodies throughout history through the lens of othering. We all know the image of the evil and vile Black man,  the sexy and voluptuous Jezebel, or the docile Mamie. But have we given thought to the purpose of these images and how they further an obsession with controlling and monitoring Black bodies? 

When looking at American media, images and portrayals of Middle Easterners and Muslims have always had a negative and terroristic focus. Given that the media we consume plays a large part in how we interpret and understand the world around us, the images have always been problematic for how these groups are treated in America. 
In this episode of Systemic our host, Dan Kimbrough sits down with Rahimeh Ramezany. Rahimeh is a DEI practitioner with a focus on integrating Muslims and religious identity into DEI practices.  She identifies as a multiethnic Shia Muslim and has a Masters's degree in Intercultural communications and a certificate in Advanced Global Leadership. Rahimeh consulting strives towards genuine inclusion and belonging, drawing from her education and lived experiences as a Muslim woman living in the US. 
Our conversation looks at some basic tenets of the Muslim faith, portrayals of Muslims in media, the importance of religion in DEI spaces, and thoughts on how we can move forward. 
For more information or to book Rahimeh, check out her website www.rahimehramezany.com