Update from SOPHE President Heidi Hancher-Rauch

February is a busy month. Between Heart Month, Cancer Prevention Month, and even Cat Health Month (which I admit was new to me!), there is plenty to acknowledge. However, the most vital theme for our community is Black History Month.

Reflecting on our history—the triumphs and the “sins” alike—is the only way to understand our present. When we whitewash the uncomfortable parts of our truth, we lose the ability to heal. The impact of our history is evident to anyone looking with an open mind. Health inequities—hunger in our children, lack of prenatal care for women, and missed cancer screenings for men—are the direct results of past decisions that have real health implications today.

It is uncomfortable to sit with the history of abuse and oppression directed at Black and Native Americans. But we cannot grow if we dismiss these facts as “a long time ago.”

I tell my students that being human means being a work in progress. We won’t always have the answers, and we might say the wrong thing, but the “trying” is what matters. By being vulnerable and truly hearing those who have been oppressed, we take a step toward real change and that change is what we need to move toward our shared goal of health equity. 

To live this out, I’ve spent the last month engaged in a 21-day anti-racism challenge. It has been a profound experience in understanding how our “ancient” history governs our modern lives. I look forward to sharing more of this work at future SOPHE events, but for now I invite you to join me in learning by watching this lecture:The History of Race in America. 

Together, let’s learn more about our history in order to be better in the future. The path toward health equity must be built by those of us willing to lay down the bricks.