African American

HealthSummit

Your Health Is Our Health

Health Summit Convened

January 31 - February 1, 2003by

The Bay Area Black United Fund

A Black Paper to Build Knowledge and Recommend Actions

Moving the work of the African AmericanHealth Summit into the Community

The Black Paper - September 2003Published by the Bay Area Black United Fund with funding from Kaiser Permanente

EditorWoody Carter, Ph.D

Contributing EditorsVera Labat,N.P., M.P.H., Daphne Muse, Colette Winlock

ContributorsSandra Carr, M.A.

Mildred Crear, M.P.H., M.A., RNLinda DailsPat Lyons

Eric MitchellRita Times, R.N., M.S.N.

Asara TsehaiSandra Witt

Graphics and Printing Hunza Graphics

Cover DesignJeanette Madden

PhotographersTroy Dotson

Barry A. Evans III

Northern California Kaiser Employees

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Table of Contents Page

SECTION I Road Map to the Summit 7

SECTION II Evaluation Methodology, Participatory Research, and Data Collection 11

SECTION III Insights and Re-Awakenings 15

SECTION IV Key Recommendations and Viable Strategies for Next Steps 19

SECTION V Description of the Summit 23

SECTION VI Next Steps - Community Action Plan 25

Appendices Page

• APPENDIX-A List of Conference and Health Expo Workshops

• APPENDIX-B Summary of Summit Health Screenings

• APPENDIX-C Description of Western Institute for Social Research (WISR) and Participatory Action Research Process

• APPENDIX-D List of Post-Summit Focus Group Questions

• APPENDIX-E Acknowledgements

The Black Paper 2003

(L-R) Robert Wilkins, Ceo, YMCA of the Eastbay, LJJennings, BABUF Board of Trustees Chairperson,Special Guest Dr. Jocelyn Elders, former US Surgeon General and Billy Blanks, creator of TaeBo, Dr. Woody Carter, BABUF Executive Director

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The first Bay Area-wide African American HealthSummit (January 31- February 1, 2003) drewover 350 people to Friday’s conference and over

3,500 visitors to the Health Expo held on Saturday."What I saw was lots of people willing to worktogether and some critical reflection on how we putall this together to have a positive impact on the com-munity," commented one attendee. For many, "theSummit felt like a family event or family reunion."Others referred to the Summit as informative, inspir-ing, empowering and helpful in enabling them toconnect with others in the community and healthfield.

The inclusive and open approach to nine months ofplanning, that involved twenty-nine (29) communitybased organizations, three (3) Bay Area public healthdepartments, five (5) public and private corporationsand a cadre of health professionals and volunteers,proved to be one of the major strategies for the suc-cess of the Summit. However, the impetus for theSummit dates back to two key events: In 2000, TheCalifornia Endowment awarded the Bay Area BlackUnited Fund (BABUF) a multiple-year grant toaddress health inequities in Bay Area AfricanAmerican communities. That same year, ArnoldPerkins, Director of the Alameda County PublicHealth Department (ACPHD), convened a meetingof African American leadership to discuss the findingsof Alameda County’s Health Disparities StatusReport 2000.

The report presented data highlighting the fact thatthe County’s African American population failed tomeet 14 out of the 19 health indicators or objectivesestablished by the County. And to a large extent,Alameda’s Black community mirrored the health dis-parities faced by other African American communi-ties throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and acrossthe nation. African Americans seem to be dyingyounger and in Alameda are suffering from more dis-

eases, not only when compared to White Americansbut when compared to all other racial groups.

In 2001, BABUF hosted a series of CommunityHealth Forums in Black neighborhoods throughoutOakland, California. The forums were focused con-versations alerting the community that there was ahealth crisis and provided an opportunity for neigh-borhood residents to explore possible solutions toaddress the health needs of the community.

In gathering the insights and wisdom of neighbor-hood residents in this way, we realized that these com-munity conversations were both meaningful andeffective in tapping into what remains deeply rootedin African American experience--the dynamic powerand impact of the culture’s oral tradition. (Thisimportant insight--utilizing the oral tradition ofBlack folk as a viable communication and knowledge

SECTION I

Road Map to the Summit

Art Chen, Medical Director Alameda Alliance, BillyBlanks, Dianne Omi-Yamashiro, Senior ProgramOfficer, The California Endowment

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building tool--also became central to the design androll-out of the Summit, and the development of aSummit assessment model.)

In 2002, when BABUF invited community leader-ship and representatives from health service providersand public and private agencies to participate in plan-ning for a summit, there was early recognition that wewere challenged to think about and approach thisproject in a new way. In response to this challenge,BABUF as convener embraced the planning anddevelopment process--and the Summit weekend,itself--as a "catalyst" or vehicle for community knowl-edge building and as a fulcrum to organize for com-munity action and change.

While the planning committee understood theimportance of advocating for greater access to healthcare, the committee chose to address at the Summitthose social determinants that affect health and thatwe as individuals and as a community have the powerto change--namely, poor nutrition, lack of physicalfitness, and lifestyles choices. The committee wantedto refocus the African American community’s atten-tion away from an ailing sick care system to one ofpromoting community health and wellbeing.

As an outcome of the Summit, several importantinsights were gleaned as priority areas for furtheraction including but not limited to:

• Giving greater attention to mental health issues and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the African American community.

• Renewing attention to the needs of the elderly, children and youth.

• Challenging African American faith-based commu-nities to re-think their role in promoting commu-nity health and wellbeing.

The Summit also raised several provocative questionsthat require further study. These questions illustratethe willingness of all involved to try to think beyondthe existing paradigms.

• How do we involve the very poor and marginalizedin the process of reducing health disparities?

• In light of limited resources and changes in the economy, how can we challenge ourselves to be change agents?

• Is it possible to be healthy and yet poor, financially?• Is there a difference in how African American men

and women work in community organizing to reduce health inequities?

• What can we learn from examining international models of health care and public health systems to inform our thinking as we move ahead?

The Black Paper offers an unabashedly AfricanAmerican cultural context for examining the healthinequities facing Black communities. The report doesnot purport to be comprehensive in identifying andaddressing key health disparities. Rather, it attempts toreveal major health concerns affecting a range of demo-graphics within the African American community.

BABUF hopes you will approach this report as aworking tool to be read, discussed, and debated by

Conference participants enjoy noon exercise break with fitness instructor Lisa Tealer

community-based providers, health professionals,public health workers, public foundations and faith-based communities. We believe the paper reflects thecollective thinking, voice, and will of AfricanAmerican leadership and representatives from Blackcommunities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.Perhaps, this study will become a guidepost to devel-op strategies, benchmarks, and action steps to aid inthe reduction of health inequities facing AfricanAmericans.

We welcome the continued support and technicalassistance of organizations like The CaliforniaEndowment, Kaiser Permanente, the CaliforniaHealthcare Foundation, Blue Cross of California, theCalifornia Wellness Foundation, ANG Newspapers,and the YMCA of the East Bay who were all primarysponsors for the Summit. In addition, we also appre-ciate the continued assistance of the Alameda CountyPublic Health Department, the Berkeley PublicHealth Department, and the City and County of SanFrancisco Public Health Department’s AfricanAmerican Health Initiative as integral partners in sustaining this effort of moving the work and energyderived from the Summit out into the community.

We are also grateful to Dr. Jocelyn Elders, former USSurgeon General, for her common sense and humor-ous approach during her luncheon keynote presenta-tion, and to Dr. Robert Scott who skillfully facilitat-ed our Town Hall meeting on Overcoming theStigma of Aids during Friday’s Health Summit con-

ference. We also look forward to continued involve-ment with Billy Blanks, the "Tae Bo Man," who gaveus a model for "walking our talk" and for leading fitness classes that drew a "packed house." From theSummit’s youngest participants to the elders sitting inchairs, the "Tae Bo Man" connected all to his dynamic exercise regime.

BABUF is indebted to and welcomes the continuedengagement of the many holistic or complimentaryhealers in the community. Under the leadership ofAsara Tsehai, founder of A Touch of Life, the secondfloor at the Health Expo was transformed into a center of healing and hope for the thousands of community people who brought their children andfamilies to the event. We are also deeply thankful for

(L-R) Robert Wilkins, Bettie L. Coles Senior Vice President, Kaiser, Dr. Jocelyn Elders, Woody Carter

Eric Mitchell, Kaiser Senior Gov. Relations Rep. andMelody Powers, Health Summit Publicist

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the celestial music and presence of the "Harpist fromthe Hood" who gave of their time and talent, freely,as a gift to the Summit.

BABUF as convener is also appreciative of the strongbut gentle leadership of Colette Winlock, theSummit’s Project Manager, who sustained the task ofcommunity planning and organizing along the way.We are thankful to the many volunteer ResearchAssociates who turned in written workshop notes,and for the excellent work done by the evaluationteam from the Western Institute for Social Research(WISR), in Berkeley. WISR was sensitive and skillfulin designing an assessment tool that immediately recognized the strengths inherent in the oral traditionof African Americans.

And finally, BABUF is grateful to the scores of healthprofessionals, community leaders, participatingresearchers, and community volunteers who gave oftheir time to make the first Bay Area-wide AfricanAmerican Health Summit a family reunion, a labor-of-love. Through their collective efforts, they demon-strated that such an event was long overdue for a people who all too often see themselves as a community under siege.

Woody Carter, Ph.D.Executive DirectorBay Area Black United Fund

Radio station KBLX staff and Billy Blanks

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SOME KEY DEFINITIONS USED IN THIS BLACKPAPER. For clarity, we refer here to several keydefinitions of terms as found in the Alameda

County Health Disparities Report, 2002 (p. 6):

• Health: A complete state of physical, mental, social and spiritual wellbeing. {World Health Organization-WHO)

• Health Disparities: Differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality and burden of diseases and other adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups in the United States. {National Institutes of Health--NIH 2001}

• Health Inequities: Systematic and important differences in health, between different groups of people, that are both preventable and unfair. (Whitehead 1990)

PARTICIPATORY NATURE OF THE RESEARCH--DIRECTING THE RESEARCH/EVALUATION, GATHERINGINFORMATION, ANALYZING INFORMATION, ANDREPORTING FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.Prior to the Summit, BABUF staff and the WesternInstitute for Social Research (WISR) research/evalua-tion team met several times to plan strategies, includ-ing content of note taking at the Summit and post-Summit information gathering. Note-taking sugges-tions were shared with volunteer research associateswho recorded some of the proceedings of the variousworkshops and think tanks on Day One of theSummit. BABUF and WISR agreed on 10 key ques-tions to guide the gathering and analysis of informa-tion. Three of these core questions were used as focifor Summit Think Tank sessions:1. What resources or strengths do you think African

Americans have relied on throughout our history to enable us to survive? In other words, what have been our "resiliency factors"?

2. Building on these "resources or strengths," in what ways might we need to change or adapt these resiliency factors to ensure that we not only

survive, but that we grow and prosper as we live through the twenty-first century?

3. For those resources or strengths (resiliency factors) what will be the indicators and benchmarks for change and success?

After the Summit, WISR researchers met amongstthemselves and with BABUF staff to discuss the infor-mation gathered during and after the Summit. TheBlack Paper grew out of a concerted effort made tocollect, distill and in some instances prioritize infor-mation and ideas collected from a range of partici-pants during the course of the Summit.

• Note-takers recorded some of the highlights and any of the details for most of the ten workshops and think tank sessions held on Friday.

• Many of the ideas shared in the afternoon think tank meetings were also recorded on newsprint pads.

• The WISR research team included three experienced African-American community activists and health professionals participating in and observing the activities and climate of both days of the Summit.

• The WISR researchers also conducted five follow-up debriefings/focus groups in teams of two, aided by a note-taker for these follow-up sessions. The debriefings were held with workshop session facili-tators, complimentary healers who participated in Saturday’s Health Expo, research associates who took notes during Friday’s workshop sessions, mem-bers of the planning committee and a group of con-ference participants who volunteered to participate in a follow-up debriefing. Although the enthusiasm and diligence of the groups sometimes pulled peo-ple off course, the richness of ideas, the seriousness of the discourse and the unwavering commitment to address the issues was clearly present.

• BABUF collected responses to an evaluation form regarding Friday’s sessions from 52 individuals.

SECTION II

Evaluation Methodology, ParticipatoryResearch, and Data Collection

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THE VALIDITY AND STRENGTHS OF PARTICIPATORYRESEARCH. This participatory research/evaluationapproach has built on the extensive wisdom andknowledge of people in African American communi-ties. The Summit successfully brought together abroad range of professionals, policy makers, membersof faith-based communities, community activists andfoundation executives to share their insights and pooltheir knowledge to address health inequities effectingAfrican Americans.

On Friday, the Summit posed evocative questions andengaged people in dialogue and sharing of ideas aboutchallenges, strengths, and possible next steps. TheHealth Expo on Saturday provided a glimpse of thekind of actions that can promote wellness, partly bymobilizing greater individual and community partic-ipation in knowledge building, knowledge sharingand follow-up actions.

The researchers devoted a significant amount ofattention to eliciting and documenting ideas fromSummit participants, during and after the Summit.Considerable effort was put into taking notes torecord the wisdom of the participants, and to askingquestions of participants during the Summit and inthe post-Summit debriefing sessions--so as to learn asmuch as we could from people throughout the com-munity. Through the research process, WISR’s evalu-ation team captured insights from the Summit, eval-uated the Summit’s effectiveness, and presented rec-ommendations derived from the event by document-ing, herein, the collective work of conference partici-pants as a reflection of meaningful and in-depth par-

ticipatory research. We hope that this Black Paperwill encourage the expansion of this type of study as aviable method for conducting community knowl-edge-building.

In addition, the Summit and the participatoryresearch leading to and beyond this Black Paper, hasbeen designed to encourage participants to look at the"bigger picture"--at the larger and deeper social forcesthat impact wellness, and the promotion of health(mind, body, spirit, community) beyond the sole pro-vision of and access to medical care. The outcome ofthe research suggests that participants felt rejuvenatedby the Summit. They seemed ready to commit timeand energy to translating the recommendations com-ing out of the Summit into specific actions to pro-mote community health and wellness.

It is also hoped that the evidence of this report willencourage donors and others outside the AfricanAmerican community to continue to support thissolid and in-depth community research with all thethoughtfulness, resourcefulness, and creativityBABUF has demonstrated in providing leadership inbuilding knowledge and action, hand-in-hand, as thecommunity engages in eliminating African Americanhealth inequities.

Thirty-three individuals wrote comments on theirEvaluation Form. Almost all of them praised the con-ference, and some of them made suggestions forchange. In the evaluations, participants noted:

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Robert Scott, M.D. leads townhall on "Overcoming the Stigma of Aids".

Alameda County Public Health Department employees

Atotal of 52 evaluation forms were received atthe end of the one-day Summit conference.The following summarizes the findings of the

evaluation responses about the conference (However,

please note that not all 52 respondents answered allquestions posed in the Survey and, therefore, the totalnumber of responses in each question may vary.)

Summary of Evaluation Data and Findings

Out of the 52 submissions, participants stated that, overall, the conference was:

Very Useful 47 Somewhat Useful 2 Useful 3 Not Useful 0 Ineffective 0

Very Useful 47 Somewhat Useful 1 Useful 4 Not Useful 0 Ineffective 0

Very Useful 51* Somewhat Useful 1 Useful 0 Not Useful 0 Ineffective 0

Very Useful 33 Somewhat Useful 9 Useful 4 Not Useful 1 Ineffective 0

Very Useful 22 Somewhat Useful 10 Useful 5 Not Useful 1 Ineffective 1

In rating the Morning Plenary Session, participant responses stated that it was:

There was an overwhelming positive response to Dr. Joycelyn Elders’ keynote presentation at the luncheon:

In rating the town hall session on "Overcoming the Stigma of AIDS/HIV participants said:

In rating the Closing Plenary Session, participants responses stated that it was:

Very Useful 36 Somewhat Useful 5 Useful 5 Not Useful 1 Ineffective 1

With regards to the Oakland Marriot City Center as the site for the Summit, participants stated that it was:

Very Useful 36 Somewhat Useful 5 Useful 6 Not Useful 0 Ineffective 0

With regards to the overall ratings of the various morning workshops sessions, participants stated that they were:

Very Useful 34 Somewhat Useful 10 Useful 5 Not Useful 0 Ineffective 0

With regards to the overall ratings of the various afternoon think tank sessions, participants stated that they were:

*Out of the 51 “very useful” responses 15 added a + sign

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• Everything was wonderful! The presenters/speakers were inspirational, well versed and well-spoken. The whole lunch menu was excellent, tasty, and healthy. Conference organization was seamless and smooth.

• Excellent conference. Empowering, refreshing. Full of excitement and wonder--the time flew by. I learned, I laughed, I cried. I was affirmed as an African living in America and survivor of theMiddle Passage and segregation!

• Speakers were very informative, inspiring just by seeing so many involved and dedicated people. Speakers were knowledgeable and focused. Also time schedule was held to pretty well. Also I reconnected with some people I had not seen for a long time or met some new ones.

• This was a very useful conference--much information to take back to my family, church health group and senior group.

• The environment was accessible, clean and well lighted.

• This conference was great in many ways. First and foremost the keynote speaker put things in your face. The only thing I may change is the setup of the Town Hall meeting.

There were a relatively small number of recurring sug-gestions for improvements to the Summit including:

• More content geared towards elders, youth and low income people living on the fringes of the community.

• Increased focus on mental health and substance abuse.

• Greater outreach in East and West Oakland.• Improve system for tracking number of participants.• Provide more comprehensive training for volunteers.• Lower the music.• Increase continuity between morning and afternoon

sessions.

Managing the available time, keeping the discussionsfocused and on target while still eliciting varied andextensive discussion was among the more commonsuggestions made. Additional suggestions included:

• Encourage facilitators to get to and stay on point. • Note important benchmarks along the way in order

to ensure that key points related to the discussion are brought forward and good questions posed.

• Provide a brief summary or recap of earlier sessions and build upon that in order to ensure continuity and refresh people on the ideas discussed earlier.

• Organize and manage the time so that questions and their responses are succinct.

• Devote more time to the theme or focus of the presentation and less time to the biographical informa-tion related to the facilitator (Note: This can be addressed by including biographical data in the program or directing people to websites and/or publica-tions that contain that information. You also can provide a handout that contains brief profiles on the facilitators and then directs people to a more comprehensive biography.

• Review with facilitators strategies to capture the collective thinking and energy that often is generatedat conferences and use it to refocus on the content.

The follow-up debriefing session with volunteerresearch associates--those who took notes in the vari-ous workshop and think tank sessions--provided feed-back on how well they were prepared to take notesand what they thought could have been improved.The research associates generally agreed that the brief-ing session prior to the Summit was very importantand useful, and that having questions and themes inadvance helped. They also felt that it would havebeen helpful if they had had more training and guid-ance in note-taking. In addition, a checklist of whatto look out for in workshop and think tank conversa-tions would have been useful and note-taking wouldhave been easier if each associate had been placed inthe same content/theme area for both the AM andPM sessions.

Suggestions for improving the planning process,which most agreed went very well, include:

• Undertake future Summits when adequate resources are available, for it is a costly and labor-intensive endeavor.

• Include people involved in alcohol and drug recovery programs in the planning process.

• Attend to the subcommittee work sooner.

YMCA of the East Bay staff

The Summit conference produced substantive think-ing and detailed discussion on a range of importantissues and ideas related to health inequities in African-American communities throughout the San FranciscoBay Area but, especially, the East Bay. Some of themajor themes, among the resulting insights and re-awakenings, are chronicled below. Using the oral tra-dition as a primary framework for gathering informa-tion, this report--and particularly this segment andthe following recommendation section--incorporatesexcerpts from the stories of mental health profession-als, county administrators, communityorganizers/activists, public health officials, corporateexecutives, foundation officers and health practition-ers of both traditional and complementary medicinepresented at the conference. These comments capturehow illness "rules" and chronicles an increasingawareness of how wellness must be valued.

1GIVE GREATER ATTENTION TO MENTALHEALTH ISSUES AND TO POST-TRAUMATICSTRESS DISORDER (PTSD) IN THE BLACK

COMMUNITY. In the face of current and past traumaas well as the constant onslaught of negative images inthe media, strategically addressing the concernsaround mental health must become more central tothe ongoing discussions. "I never thought about howPTSD plays into African American mental health orabout how trauma and stress are passed from genera-tion to generation. There are not enough therapistsout there who understand the African American com-munity," noted a participant. One of the therapist inattendance recommended that the question of slaverybe incorporated into any discussion about trauma.

Discovering the connections between racism, inter-nalized shame, and health consciousness was an on-going theme and conversation throughout theSummit. One participant put it this way, "PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), like a lot of men-tal health issues and HIV/AIDS, is stigmatized.

Then, how can we deal with mental health? I almostthink the entire Black community should be lying ona couch. It seems like we’re running to die. Wouldyou use the same approach to treat a patient versus acommunity? We still don’t want to talk about slavery,being survivors. Let’s not look at being Black as a lia-bility; look at it as a strength. We need to reclaim ourstories. There are political, social, and emotionalissues we need to talk through and like Holocaust sur-vivors, we need to talk about our history." Otherscommented on the challenges posed by the issue ofinternalized shame and people’s images of themselves."Blacks aren’t looked on positively. In the movie,Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored, theBlack community is shown respectfully. We used torespect our leaders, identify with them and embracepositive images of ourselves. There are so many neg-ative images in newspapers. The conditions of racismand the larger socio-political environment may getworse in the near future," noted another participant.

"A national study recently released by the StateUniversity of New York Downstate Medical Center,and sponsored by the Robert Wood JohnsonFoundation, stated that Blacks in the 100 largest U.S.cities and suburbs made "marked" improvements inkey health indicators during the 1990s, boosted by ris-ing incomes and better access to health care," wasshared by a participant. If in fact this study is correct,then we may expect a gross worsening of health amongAfrican Americans in the present and the foreseeablefuture. Worsening economic conditions and the drasticreduction in access to health care due, in part, to risinghealth care costs will play a key role and, in turn, willincrease the ranks of the uninsured and unemployed inthe Black community. The challenge is to develop bet-ter models for improving African American health, inspite of the prevailing conditions. BABUF could helpfacilitate this process and work with communities todevelop strategies to address health concerns.

SECTION III

Insights and Re-Awakenings

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2EMPHASIZE COMMUNITY WELLNESS. Manypeople noted that both days of the Summitwere about health and wellbeing, not illness.

The Summit successfully brought people together topay attention to their individual health as well as thatof the community. The Summit served as a muchneeded call for action and renewal of spirit. Severalparticipants described the Summit Conference andHealth Expo as a ‘family reunion’ or a renewal ofhope. It captured a need people seemed to have beenharboring to come together and do something goodfor themselves and the community. A number ofpeople mentioned the challenge of rebuilding a sys-tem of "resiliency factors" in the African Americancommunity--ways of coping with and standing up toadversity which once was one of the roles and func-tions of family and a close knit African Americancommunity that is not present today. More peopleare trying to cope with life on their own without fam-ily or community support, without success.

The role of holistic medicine, and how it can compli-ment conventional modalities, was broadly discussed.Along with getting holistic providers out into thecommunity, schools and churches, real emphasis wasplaced on creating awareness about the legitimacy ofdisciplines within the broad field of complementarymedicine. Noting some of the progress already made,another participant stated, "Saturday’s Health Expotook activities to the community so people could seehow things can be done. I’ve been rethinking

"Structures of Health Fairs’—exercise, cooking, accessto medical services, etc., so that there are more handson activities." Complimentary healers preferred theterm "wellness" to "health." Seeing the relationshipbetween individual and community wellness a partic-ipant noted, "The African American community istired of hearing negative news and terms about theircircumstances. It’s tricky; we may need more positivemessages to get more people out." A focus on affir-mations played a significant role in the tone through-out the Summit.

Several participants made sound suggestions forencouraging more holistic healing services to promotecommunity wellness, including the:• Use of meditation to help people deal with hyper-

tension and stress.• Development of hands on health Expos that include

physical exercise, cooking classes, information on better access to medical and complimentary health services.

• Creation of greater and more community-based access to health and social services to deal with the increasing number of African Americans dying so young.

• Increase in preventive care and the number of nurs-es in schools.

3SUPPORT AFRICAN AMERICAN KNOWLEDGE-BUILDING. One of the strengths of theSummit was the way in which it built on the

strengths of African American traditions of sharingand building knowledge. As one person observed,"The most powerful speakers, probably without a realconscious awareness, were displaying the "oral tradi-tion of imparting wisdom." It is well documentedthat this is one of the most effective methods of shar-ing messages in African American culture. Dr.Jocelyn Elders, Arnold Perkins and Dr. VickyAlexander all talked about disparities (health andbeyond) by incorporating humor, history, folktalesand word plays with hard facts and data. Many pro-fessionals heard things with a new ear. It was so pow-erful to hear over and over again, the connection withour roots and the oral tradition.

While participants consistently emphasized theimportance of solution and action-oriented knowl-edge, several people noted that we should not focusour efforts on health disparities research.Notwithstanding the need to examine the disparities,we need to deal with strategic solutions at this point.

Master Yoga Instructor Bobbie Norisse...

Indeed, this Black Paper is relaying people’s sugges-tions for how to build knowledge and action, hand-in-hand, to address health inequities. Anchored inthe vision, goals and objectives of the Summit, TheBlack Paper raises significant questions related to howwe move forward and support continued knowledge-building and collaborative actions.

4COME TOGETHER IN A POSITIVE WAY TOMOTIVATE AND RE-AWAKEN AFRICANAMERICAN HEALTH PRACTITIONERS. As one

health professional said, the Summit "helped me as aprofessional to spend some concerted time looking atwhat do I really want to do." In the various ways inwhich the Summit brought people together, it wasseen as a springboard for positive action. a) an oppor-tunity to move forward with immediate action andbuild on the number and diversity of people present;b) beyond the numbers of participants, the Summitwas seen as a hopeful experience, where people sharedpositive energy and the rich content suggestinghealthy directions for African American people; c) anopportunity to begin and extend dialogue amongpeople who wouldn’t otherwise be conversing withone another; and d) a model, at the least and a spring-board at best, for more extensive regional or evennational efforts. A particular accomplishment ofSaturday’s Health Expo was to bring into public viewholistic health practitioners who are available andcommitted to serving African American communi-ties. One very knowledgeable, longtime health pro-fessional noted that [I learned about the] "wealth ofhealth professionals in the Black community.

I had no idea there were so many involved in healthpromotion and complimentary health." There were anumber of participants involved in health and well-ness as opposed to medical care. They seem not to bewell known; people are not aware of them. Theseholistic healers really appreciated the opportunity andrecognition they received, especially since often theyare treated as second class professionals by main-stream medical providers. A number of these compli-mentary health practitioners were very enthusiasticabout being involved in Summit follow-up activities,both as individuals and as a recognized group.

5CREATE A SAFE AND NURTURING PLACE FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS TO ADDRESSINEQUITIES. Stimulated by a comfortable

atmosphere, the level of inquiry at the Summit pro-duced solid insights and energized many who attend-ed. A participant noted, "The Summit was healing inand of itself." As a result of focusing on the healthand wellness of Black people a greater level of comfortwas established for many participants. In no way didthe level of comfort diminish the professionalism, nordid it distract from the focus. Even the planningteam for the Summit felt that their efforts were aidedby the way BABUF provided vision, "space" and sup-port for them. There was both an ease and forthright-ness with which people addressed the criticisms oftenleveled against our community/our people. "Somepeople in other ethnic groups say they’re tired of hear-ing about our problems. You’ve been around for morethan 400 years and haven’t done anything about it,"stated a participant. With our ongoing mission

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..and Health Expo morning yoga class

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before us, participants used such statements to deep-en the discussion and address the urgency of the myr-iad of health-related issues facing the black community.

6TAKE NOTE OF THE RESILIENCY FACTORSWHICH HISTORICALLY HAVE BEEN IMPOR-TANT TO THE SURVIVAL OF AFRICAN

AMERICAN PEOPLE. Discussions at the Summitidentified a number of important "resiliency factors"African Americans have relied on to survive, includ-ing the role that spirituality and religion, humor andunderstanding our "peculiar" history have played inshaping our lives. The diverse roles of AfricanAmerican women as breadwinners, nurturers, andlinks to the past and present were also examined.Returning once again to the concept of "it takes a vil-lage to raise a child," participants were eager to shoreup the village and balance the responsibilities forchild rearing, maintaining traditions, building com-munity and promoting the resourcefulness that hassustained Black people for so long.

One participant summed up the following key focusareas as themes that arose from this part of the discussion:• The structure of the extended family• Religion--practicing and living in faith• Moral obligations to others • Nutritional sustainability and self-reliance• Physical exercise and body strengthening• Music, relaxation and cultural practices (e.g. dance)

This same participant also offered an historical per-spective in noting that, "living an agrarian lifestyle inthe old South deepened African American’s spiritualconnection, our struggle for survival, and our reli-gious involvement. Historically, within Black com-munities, people who were educated lived in thesecommunities and were viewed as role models for oth-ers. They demonstrated good citizenship, what ittook to be successful and prosper, economically. Theentire community supported Black businesses.Education was valued; knowledge was somethingpeople sought and people were open to learning andtrying new things. The survival skills Black folklearned were honed out of racial oppression and seg-regation. The need to survive remains somethingAfrican Americans remain keenly aware of."

7GIVE RENEWED ATTENTION TO THE NEEDS OFCHILDREN AND YOUTH. Participants gave con-siderable attention to the value, importance

and wellbeing of children and youth. One woman

said that we are afraid of our youth and do notacknowledge them. We should show them love. Aretired nurse stated that 75% of the children in fostercare homes are children of color. And, Dr. MichaelPenn, Health Commissioner in San Francisco, addedthat young people would feel more empowered if wehelped give them a voice and if we were moreinvolved in their education. Participants also dis-cussed the challenge of improving our educationalsystem and the need to advocate for our youth, evenif the system lacks sufficient resources.

Along with challenging both teachers and students,other suggestions included:• Using venues that attract youth for education and

learning. i.e., music, videos, school-based services• Creating church-based messages for youth• Implementing adopt-a-school programs and after-

school programs.• Affirming our children by telling them they are

somebody

8INCREASE AND CHANGE THE ROLE(S) OF THEBLACK CHURCH. Several participants dis-cussed the church with both hope and dissatis-

faction. As one person said, "At the Summit, therewas a lot of focus on family and on church, church,church. The importance of the church has been rec-ognized for a long time, but how do you change therole the church is willing and ready to take?"

Others noted, "The church needs to be a lot stronger intaking up some of the [community’s] issues and with par-ticular focus on the health of the community. It [thechurch] used to be a place where people could go andtalk; a forum for discussion and advocacy. Now, there isno place where people’s voices and concerns can be heardand where strong collective advocacy can be expressed aswell. That needs to change."

Some participants noted that African Americans havebeen over-reliant on the perceived role of the church;especially, at a time when far fewer people in the com-munity actually go to church. One participant wenton to say, "we don’t talk about the backbiting [thatgoes on in churches]; the reasons why many churchesare dysfunctional. There is an exclusive, not inclusive,attitude [in many congregations]." This participantwas adamant about what she perceived is a lack ofstrong religious and spiritual leadership; the kind ofleadership that helped Black people move beyondslavery.

1INVOLVE MORE ELDERS IN PROGRAMMATICEFFORTS. Elders represent a level of success andsustainability that often is overlooked and under

valued. There is a real need for more focus on aging,especially meeting the challenges of aging successfully.Collecting and shaping the oral histories of our elders iscertain to reveal how many of them survived hardships,accomplished their goals and found success in growingolder. Having elders as panelists and participants wouldresult in even greater insights and another essentialinvestment in the overall well-being of the community.

2ENCOURAGE AND INITIATE GREATER INVOLVE-MENT IN ACTIVITIES THAT WILL CREATE BET-TER HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR AFRICAN

AMERICANS. Summit participants often said that weneed to take greater self-responsibility through self-careand not lose hope in the face of worsening societal con-ditions. "The real work that lies ahead is to increase andsustain the involvement of those individuals and com-munities at greatest risk, and helping to develop andimplement solutions to their health problems. It’s theloss of hope, combined with social and economic hard-ships that are having the greatest impact on the healthof African American communities rather than the oftenquoted access to health care issues," was an observationput forth by a participant. People called for more con-certed political action—letters, petitions, getting outthe vote and using our political power.

Returning to the adage of "each one, teach one," thisphrase was emphasized and the importance of AfricanAmerican knowledge-building was affirmed. It was alsoaffirmed that research conducted by Black scholars andBlack health professional organizations also needs to beseriously considered. It was noted by a participant "wedon’t quote our associations of Black psychologists orphysicians. We need to rely on our own analysis ofissues and not have someone else tell us [about our-selves]." Feeling inspired to take action, people wereeager to initiate a process that would bring the commu-

nity closer together to find its’ own solutions to healthconcerns.

3ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF YOUTH AND SCHOOLSMORE EFFECTIVELY. A sense of urgency andpossibility was demonstrated clearly by com-

ments made about the need for greater emphasis onhealth education and physical fitness for K-12 students.In addition, suggestions were made about how schoolscould better serve the community as a whole as a placewhere neighborhood people could gather to discusscommunity issues. Several participants also stressed theneed for a closer, more integrated and working relation-ship between the community, the schools, superintend-ents and school boards, and the public health depart-ments, i.e. school sites used also as multi-service centers.

4INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS AND EDUCA-TION ABOUT HEALTH INEQUITIES. A number ofconference participants emphasized the need for

more outreach to seniors, youth, those who live on thefringes of society, and for more collaboration with sub-stance abuse program providers. The Saturday HealthExpo emerged as an effective model for developingsmaller neighborhood health fairs throughout the com-munity. Such fairs, for example, could be held atschools and churches. They need to be more physical-ly inter-active and inter-generational in raising aware-ness and sharing information about both traditionaland complimentary health practices and resources.

One very knowledgeable, longtime health professionalnoted that "[I learned about the] wealth of AfricanAmerican health professionals in the Black community.I had no idea there were so many Black health profes-sionals involved in health promotion and alternativehealing practices." The information disseminated andpresentations held at the Summit made it apparent thatthere is an increasing number of health and wellnessproviders serving our communities and that our healthis about so much more than "medical care."

SECTION IV

Key Recommendations andViable Strategies for Next Steps

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5CREATE MORE EFFECTIVE COLLABORATIONSAND INTEGRATION OF PROGRAMS AND SERVIC-ES. One participant stated that "around the

globe people and organizations are involved in address-ing community needs through collaborative effortsquite creatively. In Cuba, for example, block captainsplay vital roles just as they do in Albany, California,where checking on elders in the community is a real pri-ority. This type of model is being used in Berkeley aswell. And in parts of Tanzania, for every 10 housesthere’s a community leader to help look after the needsof those families."

A follow-up with Summit participants and dialogue atmore public forums could promote better collaborativeefforts as well as neighborhood organizing and grass-roots participation to address health inequity issues. Aparticipant wanted to know, "What’s keeping peoplefrom collaborating right now?" Summit findingsshould be presented to groups at churches, civic groups,African American sororities and fraternities, etc. Theseorganizations need to be asked to consider what rolesthey can play to promote health and community well-ness. We should also acknowledge that there is realpotential in nurturing more collaboration at the neigh-borhood level.

Other specific suggestions included:

• Organize schools and churches to participate more effectively in community building and related projects.

• Use BABUF’s data-base to conduct follow-up activ-ities among participating organizations, health pro-fessionals, individuals and foundations, etc.

• Create an association of holistic health providerswho could work, together, with allopathic providers to create a multi-disciplinary approach to preven-tion programs and services addressing health issues, and that will also participate in health fairs.

6CONNECT COMMUNITY OUTREACH STRATE-GIES AND BABUF’S HEALTH RE-GRANTING PRO-GRAM. BABUF’s re-granting program could

encourage more effective collaborative efforts by award-ing "seed money" to organizations that are willing toprovide leadership by demonstrating how to pool limit-ed resources to address health needs. From nutritionand exercise to supporting the development of othercommunity wellness projects, resources must be identi-fied and secured. One person at the Summit providedan example of resources that need to be pooled at thecommunity level in asking "how do you connect a com-munity-based sustainable agriculture project, like theEco-Village in Richmond, to churches?" Seed fundscould also support the start-up of new services, wherethe pool of existing programs is inadequate. BABUFcould hire a coordinator to facilitate networking

Blue Cross representatives

amongst community service providers and build grass-roots community collaborations. A website thatincludes a calendar of events such as community healthfairs and information and resource sharing, in general,would also be a useful tool. The website would providea way for connecting people to other communities thathave addressed with some success some of the samechallenges we are now facing in our own community.

BABUF could also fund gatherings to promote collab-orations in the community and provide grants to sup-port media campaigns, technical assistance, and trainingactivities.

7ESTABLISH SAFE PLACES FOR AFRICANAMERICANS TO CONGREGATE AND TALK.Summit follow-up should include holding town

hall meetings and other public forums, using this BlackPaper and the Alameda County Healthy People 2000Report [or statistical data and health reports publishedin each respective Bay Area county] as a basis for initi-ating conversations in communities about healthinequities, and promoting community health and well-being. Public health departments should also beencouraged to host a series of conversations specificallyfocused on addressing African American health dispari-ties and to mobilize people and community serviceproviders to address disparity issues and concerns.

As a follow-up to the Summit and subsequent commu-nity outreach, there needs to be a northern CaliforniaAfrican American Health Summit or even a regional,national and/or a teen summit.

8EXPLORE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN COM-MUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND POSI-TIVE HEALTH OUTCOMES. One area requiring

much more attention and discussion is the relationshipbetween economic development and health in AfricanAmerican communities. Increasing employmentopportunities, small business development, and adegree of self-sufficiency are critical to the long-termhealth of all communities. However, Black communi-ties have not had equal access to capital markets to sup-port and sustain meaningful economic developmentand community wellbeing.

Summit participants recommended that BABUF bringtogether credit unions, the Community Bank of theEast Bay, and other financial institutions and advisors toexamine the relationship between a community’s finan-cial health and a community’s wellbeing. The challengefor such a project would be to recommend ways main-

stream institutions in partnership with the communitycould promote greater financial literacy in AfricanAmerican communities, and provide capital and techni-cal assistance to promote increased small business devel-opment.

9REFRAME AND REVITALIZE THE ROLE OF THECHURCH AS A PLACE FOR COMMUNITYFORUMS. Many people expressed the hope that

churches could assume an expanded role in the commu-nity. Participants felt that it was important to encour-age more Black churches to get involved in promotingcommunity health and wellness--beyond hosting annu-al health fairs. One person, for example, called uponfaith communities to denounce practices that keep peo-ple from dealing with such health issues as HIV/AIDS.Another person added, "We need to break the silenceand engage our youth and adults in meaningful conver-sations about sexuality." Addressing the issue of inter-nalized shame is also critical as it exacerbates the stigma-tization of those in our community who suffer fromHIV/AIDS. Another person summed up the viewpointof many, "If our families and youth are in trouble, ourchurches are in trouble. We need to push Black church-es to do more."

Several participants expressed what they viewed as achronic problem in many Black churches in stating thatpeople come to church, but few are willing to actually

Destiny Muhammed “Harpist from the Hood”

21

go out into neighborhoods and volunteer to do com-munity service. People are often too busy with theirown social agendas and jobs or afraid of violence in thecommunity to get out in neighborhoods and spendtime with youth and other people. There has to be arecommitment from church leadership to be involvedin the community in some organized way. Other, spe-cific suggestions include:• Churches could sponsor more talks about health

issues and how to address them; be a conduit for the distribution of healthy and fresh foods [i.e. farmer’s markets]

• Churches need to be opened weekdays and pro-vide space for more after-school programs for chil-dren--at least one to three times per week.

• More pastors should set an example for their congre-gations by getting health screenings, themselves, and tests for health conditions, i.e. prostrate cancer screenings for men; mammograms for women, etc.

• Churches need to have Health Councils to focus on hypertension and stress-related illnesses, and other health conditions.

10RECLAIM AND REBUILD OUR RESILIENCY.Many of the above recommendations pointtoward a paradigm of wholeness. A perspec-

tive that is not individualistic or disease-based, butrather one that is community-oriented and wellness-based, grounds most of our recommendations.According to a seasoned participant, "Things are some-what better, but not with regard to our overall health.We’ve taken on this rugged individualism and dismissedthe need for community. As we well know, communi-ty cohesion is essential to both our individual healthand collective wellbeing.

Participants gave voice to the need to strengthen thoseresiliency factors that have contributed to our survival asa people by reclaiming and adapting or rebuildingthem. They also stated that there needs to be moreBlack-owned businesses in the community to re-circu-late money through African American hands. Theopinion was expressed that while many AfricanAmericans fully embrace a consumer lifestyle, smallBlack businesses do not necessarily benefit from the cir-culation of Black consumer dollars. One conferenceparticipant stated, "We really need to change our atti-tudes around this notion [if we are going to be success-ful in supporting economic development in AfricanAmerican communities]. If we believe in what we’reworth, so will others."

11FUTURE SUMMITS WILL CONTINUE TO BEVITALLY IMPORTANT; IF THEY REMAINFORUMS TO BUILD THE COMMUNITY’S

KNOWLEDGE BASE AND AS CATALYSTS FOR ACTION.Participants were eager for more discussions to exploreculturally based solutions to address health issues, andrecommended that future summits be undertakenwhen resources are available. Working towards a com-munity commitment and action plan was also a goal formany participants, and they felt strongly that a sign-upboard or book at the Summit would have helped inrecruiting volunteers for follow-up action, feedback,and in planning next steps.

There was also general consensus that the public rela-tions/community outreach strategy for the Summit waseffective and should be utilized, again, to provide forcommunity outreach and advertise future summits.

(L-R) Linda Dails, BABUF Staff, Woody Carter, Dwaye Wiggins, Colette Winlock, Summit Coordinator, Lattice Banks, Logistics Coordinator

The success of the Bay Area's first AfricanAmerican Health Summit can be attributed toboth the development and creativity of an effec-

tive collaborative team and network of volunteers--representing community leadership, public healthworkers, health professionals, health-related commu-nity-based organizations, faith-based institutions, andthe holistic health community. (Refer toAcknowledgement section in the Appendices formore detail.) These volunteers made-up the Summit’sPlanning Committee that was engaged in a twelve-month planning process which included regular com-mittee meetings, site visits, recruitment activities, anddeepening levels of discussion and celebration.

GOALS FOR THE SUMMIT

At the beginning of the process, the PlanningCommittee set goals and objectives for the two-dayhealth summit. They served as guideposts for thedevelopment of programming for the event. Therewere two goals for Friday’s Summit conference:

• Convene a diverse array of African American leadership in the San Francisco Bay Area to address disparities in the health of African Americans.

• Facilitate dialogue, discussion and workshops that critically reflect on the status of African American health inequities; create awareness of best practices and strategies; and engages support for health initia-tives in African American communities.

There were also two goals set for the Summit’sSaturday Health Expo:

• Offer African American individuals and families an interactive, hands on, intergenerational event focused on health education, nutrition and exercise.

• Encourage participants to make a conscious choice to begin one or more changes in their lifestyle that promotes healthier living and offer activities that could support these changes.

Setting goals for each day was informed by recom-mendations from Alameda County’s HealthDisparities Framework report that recognized theneed for the County to shift its focus or paradigm"from individual-level treatment to population levelprevention; namely, to "initiate community-widehealth promotion campaigns." A second recommen-dation from the report that influenced goal setting forthe Summit related to the County’s proposed shift toplacing greater emphasis on strengthening "commu-nity capacity for reducing health disparities" throughenhancing "existing community capacity."Specifically, increasing "social connectedness andinclusion" and supporting "residents and communityorganizations in addressing their health priorities."

THE CONFERENCE PROGRAM

The summit started with a conference for Bay AreaAfrican American health leadership on Friday,January 31, 2003, that included a morning plenarywith presentations made by public health officials

SECTION V

Description of the AfricanAmerican Health Summit

Geoffrey Watson, M.D., Watson Wellness Center

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from Alameda County, the City and County of SanFrancisco, the City of Berkeley, a minority health offi-cial from Region IX, U.S. Department of Health andHuman Services, a representative from the holistichealth field, and BABUF’s Executive Director.Morning workshops centered around five differentfocus areas: Cultural Competency; Access to HealthCare; Public Awareness and Education; Self-Care,Exercise and Lifestyles; and the Socio-PoliticalEnvironment.

Former Surgeon General of the United States, Dr.Jocelyn Elders, followed by a town hall meeting led byDr. Robert Scott on "Overcoming the Stigma ofAids," delivered the luncheon keynote presentation.The day concluded with afternoon think tank ses-sions in the five focus areas and a closing plenary ses-sion.

THE SUMMIT’S HEALTH EXPO

A health expo, a day for hands-on engagement of thecommunity and service providers, was held onSaturday, February 1, 2003. Three floors of activitieswere offered with the first floor focused on fitness andnutrition, the second floor on holistic health andcommunity education, and the third floor devoted toconducting health screenings. Participants wereencouraged to visit all three floors by filling out aHealth Passport that once completed made them eli-gible for prizes.

Featured guests included fitness instructor BillyBlanks, "the Tae Bo Man", entertainer DewayneWiggins, vocalist Goapele and culinary chef LeslieJames. Senior advocates hosted the Senior Plaza withan array of services available to seniors and their care-givers. The Health Insurance Pavilion was open dur-ing the day to answer questions regarding healthinsurance. A youth focused program "Holla for yourHealth" presented young Bay Area talent promoting ahealthy message. The YMCA of the East Bay provid-ed thousands of square feet of fitness activities andgames along with UC Berkeley's Rock Wall and inter-active exhibitors. Health Expo attendees wereengaged in activities throughout the entire day.

Chef Leslie James, LL Culinary Academy

Brenda Yamashita, Project Director,Diabetes ProgramRita Times, President, Bay Area Black Nurses Association

As convener, BABUF’s primary focus has beenthe development of a Community Action Plan(CAP) charting next steps to move the work

and positive energy of the African American HealthSummit into Bay Area African American communi-ties. Central to creating "next steps" has been build-ing consensus among key community constituentsand organizational leadership on how best to grow amovement--a movement to create a critical mass1 ofAfrican Americans in communities committed to per-sonally modeling healthier lifestyles; lifestyles devotedto improving diets, increasing physical exercise, andchanging those aspects of daily living that detractfrom sustaining healthier lives. Community mem-bers that choose to join this movement will becomeevangelical about sharing their new awareness andlifestyle with others.

The CAP also encourages African American commu-nities to be more engaged in addressing social andpublic policy issues that put up barriers--i.e., hamperaccess to fresh and healthy foods, unaffordable healthinsurance, and etc.-- to creating healthy communitiesthrough the collaborative and networking efforts of alead agency.

As part of building consensus around a CAP, a HealthSummit Reconvening was held June 13, 2003, at theYMCA of the East Bay. Over one hundred attendeesparticipated in this half-day session to review draftinsights and recommendations derived from theSummit presented, here, in Sections III and IV.

COUNCIL OF ELDERS

The CAP is a dynamic, multi-pronged, approachlead by a newly formed post Summit steering com-mittee or Council of Elders (characterized by the

aggregate number of years Council members haveworked in the areas of community service, communi-ty organizing, or on community health issues). Thekey responsibilities of the Council of Elders are to:

• Assist in strategic planning and fund developmentfor hosting the Second African American Health Summit to be held in February 2005. (This Council will not serve as the planning committee for the next summit)

• Provide for, where appropriate, the visible use of the existing African American Health Summit logo at community health-related events.

• Act as a resource to leadership groups building col-laborative relationships to share information and resources, and potential funding sources that support focused community efforts.

Current members of the Council of Elders includesenior management representatives from the YMCAof the East Bay, Healthy Oakland, The GreenliningInstitute, the African American Wellness Project, theBay Area Black United Fund (convener), and publicagencies including the Alameda County PublicHealth Department, the Berkeley Public HealthDepartment, the City and County of San FranciscoPublic Health Department’s African American HealthInitiative, Kaiser Permanente, and holistic healthbusiness owners A Touch of Life and Living Vibrance.

LEAD ORGANIZATIONS AND CLUSTER AREAS

In addition, incorporated into the CAP is the work offour lead organizations whose purpose is to organizeand implement community-based activities in fivecluster areas: Access to Health Care; Public Healthand Education; Lifestyle, Self-Care and PhysicalExercise, and the Socio-Political Environment (A leadagency for a fifth cluster on Cultural Competency

SECTION VI

Next Steps: The Community Action Plan

1 We define, here, "building critical mass" as creating awareness and action to reduce health disparities in Bay Area AfricanAmerican communities in at least 1% of the field (the "field" being defined as the numerical population of African Americansin any given county or community).

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remains to be arranged.) Key responsibilities for leadagencies are:• Participate as an active member of the Council of

Elders (steering committee).• Create strategies to recruit and organize community

service providers and interested individuals to participate in collaborative efforts in their particularcluster group.

• Establish a communications and networking system, and maintain contact with members in their particular cluster.

• Design and implement a health promotion and media campaign through utilizing Bay Area media and especially Black media.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Lead Agencies, their cluster area and contact infor-mation are:Access to Health Care – African American WellnessProjectContact: Zandra Washington 510.435.9448 email: sankofaconsulting@yahoo.com

Public Awareness and Education – Healthy OaklandContact: Pastor Raymond Lankford 510.858.7292email: healthyoakland@execs.com

Lifestyle, Self-Care and Physical Exercise – YMCAof the East BayContact: Annette Bethea 510.451.9622 email: abethea@ymcaeastbay.org

Socio – Political Environment – The GreenliningInstituteContact: Paul Turner 415.547.7552 email: paulhturner@greenlining.org

The Bay Area Black United Fund (BABUF),ConvenerContact: Colette Winlock 510.763.7270 email: cwinlock@babuf.org

These lead agencies are working, together, to host ayear of gatherings or convening’s where work begun at

the Summit is continued at the community-level andin smaller groups--to bring the findings and recom-mendations presented in this Black Paper to anincreasing number of Bay Area African Americans.

PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENTS

In addition, the three participating public healthdepartments--with jurisdictions in Alameda, Berkeleyand San Francisco counties--are providing leadershipin hosting regional gatherings of public health work-ers to discuss this on-going community-based healthinitiative and explore possible ways to support it.

HOLISTIC HEALTH PROVIDERS

As an integral part of community outreach, BABUFintends to encourage and support where possible theefforts of culturally-based complimentary healthproviders in their desire to organize themselves andexpand their services in communities. The Councilof Elders recognizes that to a large extent the commu-nity’s internal capacity to embrace and promotehealth and wellness--as opposed to focusing on dis-ease and sickness--rests on the continued integrationand expansion of holistic health services on multiplelevels; services that will require increased publicawareness and community education regarding thebenefits of complimentary medicine modalities bytrained culturally-based professionals.

BABUF’S POST-SUMMIT RE-GRANTING PROGRAM

Through a multiple-year grant from The CaliforniaEndowment, BABUF is providing "seed funding" tolead agencies to implement their cluster action plansand a technical assistance grant to insure that thecoordination and implementation of the CAP movesforward. BABUF also supports the work of theCouncil of Elders to complete both a strategic planand fund development plan as necessary steps inpreparing and securing resources for the second BayArea-wide African American Health Summit for 2005.

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Appendices

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Panel Presentations’ Focus Areas:

Cultural Competency

Education/Public Awareness

Access to Health Care

Lifestyle, Self-care and Exercise

The Socio-Political Environment

Afternoon "think tank" sessions in same focus areas

List of Workshops presented at theAfrican American Health Summit

JANUARY 31, 2003, FRIDAY, CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS

Reiki: an alternative way to reduce stress

Goddess Bootcamp

Child Obesity; is it just baby fat?

What you don’t know about fast food could be dangerous

Healing from Enslavement

Fitness at any size

What grandma knew about herbs

Wonder Womb

Stop smoking naturally

Accupuncture – does it work?

Natural hair care

Men’s spirituality

A natural approach to treating ADD/ADHD

How to live your optimal health

Spiritual weight release

Promoting self-esteem in our girls

Turning your house into a healing sanctuary

Teen Choices

Faith based approaches to promoting health in thecommunity

Midlife and menopause in women

Men’s health panel

Women’s health panel

FEBRUARY 1, 2003, SATURDAY, HEALTH EXPO COMMUNITY EDUCATION CLASSES

Appendix-A

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MORNING PLENARY SESSION

Karolyn Van Putten, Ph.D., Arts Medicine

Mildred Crear, MPH, M.A. R.N., Director SFPublic Health Maternal & Child Health Section

LJ Jennings, Chair, Board of Trustees, Bay AreaBlack United Fund

Woody Carter, Executive Director, Bay Area BlackUnited Fund

Arnold Perkins, Director Alameda County PublicHealth Department

Christine Perez, Regional Minority HealthConsultant, Region IX, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Vicki Alexander, M.D. Director Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, Berkeley PublicHealth Department

Asara Tsehai, Wholistic Health Educator, A Touch of Life

MORNING PANELISTS

Shakti Butler, Ph.D. World Trust Institute

Melanie Tervalon, M.D., African American Wellness Project

Norm Nickens, J.D., Director Equal EmploymentOpportunity, SF Department of Public Health

Olis Simmons, Perinatal/Children's ServicesCoordinator, Alameda County Health Care Services Agency

Geoffrey Watson, M.D., J.A. Watson WellnessCenter

Gloria Brown, Chair, African American CommunityHealth Advisory Mills Pennisula Health Services

Ginger Smyly, Director of Community HealthPromotion and Prevention, SF Department ofPublic Health

Luretha Senyo-Mensa, Program and PolicyAssociate, Alameda Health Consortium

Odessa Bolton, MHSA, Program Manager, Blue Cross of California

Latonya Slack, Executive Director, California BlackWomen’s Health Project

Dr. Frank Staggers, Sr., M.D., Chair Ethnic HealthInstitute

Rita Stuckey, R.N., M.P.A., Director of Older AdultServices, Bay Area Community Services

Mark Alexander, Ph.D., 100 Black Men HealthAwareness Committee

Ralph L. Petersen, M.D., Chair, 100 Black MenHealth and Awareness Committee

Pamela Balls Organista, Ph.D, Professor School ofPsychology University of San Francisco

Toni Martin, M.D., Clinical Faculty, UniversityCalifornia, San Francisco

Kimi Watkins-Tartt, Deputy Director, AlamedaCounty Public Health Department CommunityHealth Services Division

Paul Turner, Senior Program Manager, GreenliningInstitute

Linda Handy, M.S., Community LiasonCoordinator, La Cheim Psychological Services

Cynthia Selmar, Director S.F. Department of PublicHealth, African American Health Initiative

Robert Phillips, Senior Program Associate, Policy Link

LUNCHEON SPEAKERS

Robert Wilkins, CEO, YMCA of the East Bay

Bettie Coles, Senior Vice President and East BayService Area Manager, Kaiser Permanente

Jocelyn Elders, M.D., Former US Surgeon General

Robert Scott, M.D.

African American Health Summit Conference Presenters and Facilitators

AFTERNOON "THINK TANK" SESSION

Rev. Phil Lawson, Easter Hill Church

Taj Johns, M.A., Assistant to the City Manager,Berkeley

Rev. Frank Jackson, Faith Presbryterian Church

Rev., Dr. Arthur L. Jarret, Trinity Baptist Church

Rita Times, R.N., M.S.N., Bay Area Black NursesAssociation

Rev., Cheryl D. Elliott, Allen Temple BaptistChurch

Bob Isom, Nurse Manager, SF Public HealthDepartment

Rev. Lyneice Pinkard, First Congregational Church

Larry Austin, YMCA Future Choices Program

Crystal Beverly, Certified Health Educator

Elon Bomani, Khemetic Naturalist

Shene Bowie, Health Educator

Woody Carter, Executive Director BABUF

India Collins, Progressive Health Practitioner

Nsoah Chionesu, Acupuncturist

Loretta Green, CPT, Phd Epidemiology

Chris Hoskins, Yoga Instructor

Robin James, Reiki Practitioner

Jazz’z, San Francisco Hair Salon

Lolita Thomas Kendrick, Life Coach and Strategist

Kern County Community

Mallie Latham, Director of Recovery Ministry,McGee Baptist Church

Ted Marsh, Master Coach

Bobbe Norrise, Master Yoga Instructor

Amewoke Nunyakpe, Hip Hop Yogi

Brenda McClendon/Ahmondra

Gwen Moore, African-American Task ForceRepresentative

Dinndayal Morgan, Director InternationalAssociaton of Black Yoga Teachers

Rev. Eloise Oliver, E.B. Church of Religious Science

Arisika Rozak, Licensed Midwife

Nadia Rashid, Yoga Instructor

Min. Charles Stewart, St. Luke Missionary BaptistChurch

Stanford GEMS Program

Lisa Tealer, Plus Size Aerobics Instructor

Raichelle Toole, Licensed SpiritualPractitionerRadiant Health & Wellness Coach

Asara Tsehai, African Medicine Woman/HolisticHealth Educator

Dr. Kweli Tutashinda, Hotep Chiropractic

Dr. Geoffrey Watson, Watson Wellness Center

Carmen West, Fitness Expert

Westside Community Mental Health Center

Lienzie Williams, Master Tai Chi Instructor

African American Health Summit Health Expo - Community Health Classes

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The Following table lists the number of attendees who participated in the various health screenings:

Summary of Summit Health Screenings

SCREENING AGENCY SCREENING TYPE NUMBER SCREENED

Alameda County HealthDepartmentAdministered by Bay Area Black Nurses

Glucose/Cholesterol Screening 101 screened• 3 abnormal glucose levels• 2 with diabetes

City Center Dental Oral exam with Ultra-OralCamera

90 screened/16 referrals

100 Black Men Health andWellness Committee

Body Mass Index (BMI) 88 screened• 16 (18%) ideal weight• 24 (27%) overweight• 48 (55%) obese

Prevent Blindness Vision Screening 37 adults screened• 6 referred to a physician

Ethnic Health Institute ProstateCancer Screening Program

Prostate 95 men screened• 106 women (viewed Prostate

education video/completed survey)

The National Kidney Foundation Kidney screening 121 screened

Appendix-B

Jam packed Tae Bo class during the Summit’s Health Expo

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WISR offers individualized, state-approved BA andMA programs in Psychology, Human Services andCommunity Development, and Social Sciences.They also offer a MA program in Education and aninterdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Higher Educationand Social Change. The MA program in Psychologyhas an option that leads toward the State’s Marriageand Family Therapy (MFT) License. WISR is a mul-tiethnic place of learning for working adults whochoose to focus on community improvement, socialchange and educational innovation.

In 1980, WISR was one of 80 institutions of highereducation nationally to receive a major grant from theU.S. Department of Education’s Fund for theImprovement of Postsecondary Education to do anationwide demonstration project on improvinghigher education. The three year project focused on"Extending the Teaching, Learning and Use ofAction-Research throughout the Larger Community."

Since its inception in 1975, participatory research hasbeen an integral part of WISR. Researchers includethe people who are involved in trying to make a dif-

ference in the communities in which they live and/orwork. Such research has great potential for creatingimaginative and powerful insights, empowering par-ticipants and bringing about community improve-ments, social justice and equality.

In our work with students at WISR, we encouragestudents to draw on their own experiences, and on theexperiences of others in the community, to developideas and strategies that can make a differenceAlthough more conventional, statistical methodssometimes have useful functions, we have learned thatqualitative, action-oriented methods often bring tolight profound insights—from interviews, personalexperience and observations, and everyday action—that cannot be so easily discerned from quantitativeand standardized techniques of research. WISR’sapproach to action-research is based on the notionthat it is crucial that all people come to see themselvesas builders of knowledge, individually and collectively.

(The Western Institute for Social Research, 3220Sacramento St., Berkeley, CA. 94702; (510) 655-2830, www.wisr.edu)

Description of Western Institute for Social Research (WISR) andParticipatory Action-Research Used

Appendix-C

34

1. How well did the Summit meet its stated goals and objectives as an "end in itself"?

2. How well (and in what ways) does the Summit seem to have solid potential to be a springboard for further efforts?

3. What insights about the "bigger picture" of African American health disparities were generated? And what are some fruitful questions for further thought and action?

4. What specific insights (and questions) were gener-ated about problems contributing to disparities, possible strategies and recommendations for action, directions for further investigation, impor-tant needed work, and possible local and national forums?

5. What were the most outstanding qualities of the dialogue, critical reflection, question posing, solu-tion posing and networking at the Summit? In what ways could the Summit have been improved in these areas?

6. What was noteworthy and successful about who participated in each of the two days of the Summit, and who wasn’t there who should have been there? (That is, with regard to the cross-section of people and leadership present.)

7. What were the noteworthy accomplishments on Saturday in including various individuals and fam-ilies in health education activities to promote healthier living? How could these health educa-tion efforts have been further improved?

8. What insights, questions and recommendations were generated during the Summit from the standpoint of the Alameda County Public Health Department Health Disparities Framework Summary?

9. Overall, what were the main accomplishments, as well as the limitations of the Summit as an organizing catalyst or vehicle to:

• Critically reflect on and discuss the status of African American health disparities?

• Strengthen community capacity for reducing health disparities?

• Support community organizations in understanding and addressing health disparities?

• Encourage public agencies and corporate sponsors to partner with the community to address health disparities?

• Provide a foundation for recommending next steps to continue to engage and support community agencies to address African American health disparities?

• Formulate other kinds of strategies not previously envisioned?

List of Post-Summit Focus Group Questions

Appendix-D

Mark Anderson, Aerobic Coordinator Downtown Oakland YMCA

Larry Austin, Outreach/Site Coordinator YMCA Future Choices Program

Yacine E. Bell, Summit Fund Development

Francies Berry, Health & Human EducationResource Center

Carmen Bogan, OakPARC California Nutrition Network

Odessa Bolton, Program Manager, Blue Cross of California

Daniela Boykin, California Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness Program

Michael Campbell, Owner MDC Media

Mildred Crear, MPH, MA RN, Director San Francisco Dept of Public Health Maternal &

Marvin Gibson, Outreach Manager, Center for Elders Independence

Loretta Green, CPT, International Association ofBlack Yoga Teachers, American

Jovine Hankins, Parish Nurse, Summit Health Ministry

Shyrl Hayman, Health Ministry Coordinator, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center

Vera Labat, Public Health Nurse, City of BerkeleyDept. of Health & Human Services

Pat Lyons, Consultant-Oakland YMCA

Polly McCray, 1st AME Commission onHealth/Delta Sigma Theta Sorority

Lauren McDonnell Alameda County Public Health Dept. Diabetes Program

Roxanne McFadden, Associate CommunityRelations Representative,

Luretha Senyo-Mensah, Alameda HealthConsortium

Eric Mitchell, Senior Community and Gov.Relations Representative,

Pat Rambo, Membership Coordinator YWCA of the East Bay

Maria Rivers, Total Health/Wellness Director,Downtown Oakland YMCA

Michael Shaw, Alameda County Office of Aids

Maxine Tatmon-Gilkerson, School of Public Health,UC Berkeley Center for

Asara Tsehai, Wholistic Health Educator, A Touch of Life

Rita Times, R.N., M.S.N., Bay Area Black Nurses Association

Dr. Karolyn Van Putten, Arts Medicine

Darryl Ward, Director of Development, Volunteers of America, Bay Area

Kenneth Wells, Healthcare Advocate, Alameda Alliance for Health

Colette Winlock, Program Officer Health Initiative,Bay Area Black United Fund

Ann Brekke Yungert, Prostate Cancer Coordinator,Ethnic Health Institute

Acknowledgements

African American Health Summit Planning Committee

Appendix-E

35

36

John Bilorusky, Ph.D., WISR President and FacultyMember

Julie Carter, M.A., WISR Ph.D. student

Barbara Cheatham, M.A., WISR Ph.D. student

Vera Labat, M.P.H., WISR Faculty Member andBoard Member

Shyaam Shabaka, M.P.H., WISR Ph.D. student

Nadine Shaw-Landasvatter, WISR M.A. student

The Western Institute for Social Research (WISR)Research/Evaluation Team:

Blanca Campos

Julie Carter

Charemon Cooks

Devra Hutchinson

LaShan Jenkins

Rhonda Johnson

Nina Sperber

Phylliss Brown

Research AssociatesVolunteers who participated in taking session/workshop notes as part of the evaluation process include:

Young Health Expo participant climbs the Rock Wall

A Touch of Life♥

African American Health Summit Planning Committee♥

Akiba Davis, Volunteer Coordinator♥

Alameda County Public Health Department Community Services Division♥

Bay Area Black Nurses Association♥

Bay Area Black United Fund Staff♥

Berkeley Public Health Department♥

CAN-Fit♥

Center for Elders Independence♥

Ethnic Health Institute Prostate Cancer Screening Program♥

IMPACT♥

Kaiser Educational Theater Program♥

Kaiser Permanente♥

Lattice Banks, Logistics Coordinator♥

Lifelong Medical Care (0ver 60 health center)♥

Melody Powers and Associates, Publicist Services♥

100 Black Men of the Bay Area Health and Wellness Committee♥

San Francisco Public Health Department African American Health Initiative♥

U.C. Cooperative Extension 5-A-Day♥

YWCA of the East Bay

A Special Thank You To

African American

HealthSummit

Your Health Is Our Health

Major Sponsors of the African American Health SummitKAISER PERMANENTE • ANG NEWSPAPERSTHE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENTYMCA OF THE EAST BAY

Co-SponsorsALAMEDA COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENTBLUE CROSS OF CALIFORNIACALIFORNIA HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION

The Bay Area Black United Fund • www.babuf.org1212 Broadway, Suite 730, Oakland, CA. 94612 • (510) 763-7270