On Wednesday, the Columbus Public Health’s Center for Public Health Innovation sponsored an online town hall discussion focused on racism in the LGBTQ+ community and a pathway to move forward. The panel featured Mel Carroll (Equitas Health), Densil Porteous (Stonewall Columbus), Eboni Partlow (Black, Out and Proud), Merisa Bowers (Community Advocate), and Scott Woods (Streetlight Guild), and was moderated by Karen Hewitt (Kaleidoscope Youth Center).
“The reason for the panel was to engage in open dialogue around experiences with racism in the LGBTQ+ community,” says Hewitt. “Columbus and Ohio has a complicated and nuanced history around the intersections of race, gender identity and sexual orientation. This year in May of 2020, racism was declared a public health crisis. With the pandemic and racial justice uprisings ever present, we wanted to have a conversation around impact in our own community.”
The powerful 90 minutes covered everything from systemic effects to individual experiences to solutions-based perspectives.
“The panelists shared some common themes that are essential to moving forward as a community with grace, humility, love, and unity,” says Brandon Chapman, Board Member of The Buckeye Flame.
Action Item:
- Watch the event below.
- Actually DO something with the info/perspectives shared.
https://www.facebook.com/GreaterColumbusLGBTQHealthCoalition/posts/2751009385168418
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