>>> EVEN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC BEGAN LAST YEAR, THE TOPIC OF
HEALTH AND ACCESSIBILITY HAS BEEN A PRIMARY CONCERN FOR MANY
OF US.
HOWEVER, AS COVID-19 REMAINS AS A THREAT, HEALTH INEQUITIES HAVE
BEEN SURFACING TO THE FOREFRONT, ESPECIALLY AMONG COMMUNITIES OF
COLOR.
I SPOKE WITH DR.
VANESSA MARTINEZ-RENUNCIO, PROFESSOR OF
ANTHROPOLOGY AT HOLYOKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, TO GAIN
INSTATE ON HOW THESE INEQUITIES HAVE EXISTED HISTORICALLY IN
COMMUNITIES EVER COLOR AND WHAT SOLUTIONS CAN BE OFFERED TO HELP
IMPROVE THE LIVES OF THE RESIDENTS WHO RESIDE WITHIN
THEM.
>> FOR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR WE ARE SEEING HIGHER RATES OF
ILLNESS, HIGHER RATES OF DEATH.
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT PATTERN ISN'T NEW.
AND WE SEE IT WITH CHRONIC DISEASE AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE
HISTORICALLY FOR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
SO COVID IS JUST FOLLOWING THE PATTERN THAT WE'VE SEEN, THE
HELL INEQUITIES THAT WE'VE SEEN FOR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
SO IT'S REALLY ABOUT UNDERSTANDING THE WHY.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE NOW TALKING ABOUT THE WHY AND THE
WHY NOT BEING RACIAL GENETICS OR THE BIOLOGY OF PEOPLE OF COLOR,
BUT RATHER THE WAYS IN WHICH INSTITUTIONAL RACISM, THE
ENVIRONMENT, RIGHT, THE NEIGHBORHOODS, LOW RESOURCE
NEIGHBORHOODS THAT YOU ARE SEEING SORT OF LARGE COMMUNITIES
OF COLOR BEING IN THESE LOW-RESOURCE NEIGHBORHOODS.
TOXIC ENVIRONMENT.
SO THINKING ABOUT ISSUES OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
SO YOU ARE SEEING MORE AND MORE PEOPLE HAVING THESE CONNECTIONS.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY, IT DOESN'T SEEM TO FULLY DISSIPATE THE
MISINFORMATION OR THE FAKE INFORMATION OR INCOMPLETE
INFORMATION THAT WE STILL HAVE AROUND SORT OF THIS IDEA THAT
IT'S IN THE BIOLOGY OF PEOPLE OF COLOR.
OR THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE BONES.
OR THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE CULTURE.
BUT INSTEAD IT'S REALLY ABOUT UNDERSTANDING INSTITUTIONAL
OPPRESSION AND LOW RESOURCES IN COMMUNITIES.
>> HOW DO SOCIAL INEQUITIES IMPACT ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE
AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN WAYS THAT MIGHT NOT BE SO
OBVIOUS?
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND SORT OF
THE, YOU KNOW, PERSON WHO BLOCKS YOU FROM GETTING A JOB OR WHO
CALLS YOU A BAD NAME.
IT'S MUCH HARDER TO UNDERSTAND THE WAYS IN WHICH INSTITUTIONS
LIKE EDUCATION -- AND BELIEVE ME, I AM A HIGHER ED PROFESSOR,
RIGHT?
BUT THE WAYS IN WHICH EDUCATION OR THE MEDIA OR OUR GOVERNMENT
REALLY WORK TOGETHER IN WAYS TO REALLY BLOCK ACCESS.
AND, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE TALK THAT I GAVE WAS ABOUT THINKING
ABOUT THE WAYS THAT WE CAN HOLD OUR POLICYMAKERS ACCOUNTABLE,
RIGHT?
AND THINK ABOUT THE WAY, NOT JUST IN IMPLEMENTING POLICIES
BUT ALSO IN FOLLOWING THEM THROUGH, RIGHT?
LIKE REALLY UNDERSTANDING, OK, WE NEED TO MAKE THIS CHANGE.
HOW MUCH CHANGE DO WE MAKE?
AND HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT IT'S HAPPENING, RIGHT?
THAT THESE CHANGES ARE HAPPENING.
>> AS A CHANGE, CULTURAL AND MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGIST, YOU
DESCRIBE YOUR APPROACH AS USING A HISTORICAL LENS IN AN
ANTI-RACIST PERSPECTIVE.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO USE THIS
APPROACH?
>> THE HISTORY ALLOWS US TO SEE PATTERNS.
BUT I THINK THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE IS REALLY IMPORTANT
TO UNDERSTANDING TODAY.
AND TO UNDERSTAND BOTH THE THINGS THAT HAVE NOT CHANGED AND
THE WAYS IN WHICH CHANGE HAS HAPPENED, RIGHT?
IN TERMS OF AN ANTI-RACIST LENS, I THINK THAT RACE FIRST
PERSPECTIVE REALLY ALLOWS ME TO BETTER ENGAGE, NOT JUST IN
COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AS A LATINA WITH LIGHT SKIN, RIGHT?
BUT ALSO IN WHITE COMMUNITIES, AND BEING ABLE TO TALK ABOUT
THESE ISSUES AND REALLY PUSH PEOPLE TO ENGAGE IN WAYS THAT
ARE MEANINGFUL BUT ALSO PUSH THEM OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE,
RIGHT?
SO IN MY TALK, I SPOKE ABOUT THE GROWTH MODEL, WHICH IS NOT MY
OWN,.
BUT IT'S SORT OF MAKES AN ARGUMENT, RIGHT, THAT WHEN WE
ARE IN OUR COMFORT ZONE WE DON'T NECESSARILY ENGAGE WITH NEW
INFORMATION.
BECAUSE WE'RE JUST COMFORTABLE.
THAT'S WHERE WE WANT TO STAY, RIGHT?
BUT IF WE MOVE TO A STRETCH ZONE, A PLACE WHERE NEW
INFORMATION IS POSSIBLE, WE CAN ENGAGE.
IT'S INNOVATIVE, RIGHT?
IT'S A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN THINK OF NEW IDEAS AND INNOVATION AND
CREATIVE WAYS TO STRATEGIZE, RIGHT?
LIKE ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES POSTED SOMETHING ON FACEBOOK ABOUT
CREATING AN ANTI-RACIST READING GROUP IN HOLYOKE, AND ASKED FOR
FACILITATORS FOR THE COMMUNITY, RIGHT?
AND THIS IS POST GEORGE FLOYD.
AND I SAID, SURE.
SO I ENGAGED A COLLEAGUE OF MINE AND A FRIEND, AND WE ARE
HOLDING, WE ARE CO-FACILITATING ANTI-RACIST BOOK CLUB.
LIKELY TOGETHER AND HAVING A DISCUSSION AND BRINGING IT TO
THE LOCAL LEVEL.
HOW DOES THIS IMPACT OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY HERE IN HOLYOKE?
SO I THINK THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF THINGS THAT I WANT PEOPLE TO
REALLY THINK ABOUT WHEN THEY'RE ENGAGING WITH NEW INFORMATION.
YOU KNOW, HOW CAN THEY MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
THAT'S REALLY THE POINT.
HOW CAN YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
>> ARE THERE ANY COMMUNITIES WHERE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE TO
EQUALIZE SOME OF THESE INEQUITIES?
AND WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THEM?
>> WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS WE SEE THROUGHOUT HISTORY WHERE
PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, DURING RECONSTRUCTION IS A GREAT PLACE
TO SEE, OK, BLACKS GAIN SOME ACCESS INTO GOVERNMENT, INTO
HAVING SMALL BUSINESSES, INTO -- RIGHT?
AND THEN WE SAW SORT OF A SHUTDOWN OF THOSE RESOURCES, OF
THAT EXPERIENCE.
AND THEN WE SEE POST CIVIL RIGHTS.
FAIR HOUSING ACT.
WE SEE A VARIETY OF LEGISLATION THAT REALLY BENEFITED PEOPLE OF
COLOR, AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, AND THEN WE SAW A BACKLASH, YOU
KNOW, IN THE LATE '70s, EARLY '80s, RIGHT?
SO WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT WITH PROGRESS COMES A BACKLASH.
AND SO WE HAVE TO FIGHT AGAINST THOSE BACKLASHES BECAUSE WHAT
HISTORY HAS SHOWN US IS THAT WE'RE NOT ALWAYS JUST MOVING
FORWARD.
WE ARE MOVING IN A DIRECTION -- LET'S CALL IT FORWARD.
AND PEOPLE PUSH US BACK.
AND WE MOVE A LITTLE BITTED FOR AND PEOPLE PUSH US BACK.
SO WHAT HISTORY HAS TAUGHT US IS TO JUST KEEP MOVING FORWARD.
AND ADDRESS THE BACKLASHES WHEN THEY HAPPEN, RIGHT?
WHATEVER THOSE LOOK LIKE.
SO IF YOU ARE ME, YOU ARE GIVING TALKS LIKE THIS.
YOU ARE TEACHING COURSES.
YOU ARE ENGAGING WITH RESEARCH IN SPRINGFIELD ON CLIMATE CHANGE
AND RACIAL JUSTICE.
YOU ARE -- RIGHT?
SO I AM HOPING THAT THE WORK THAT I DO WITH MY STUDENTS, THE
SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT THAT THE STUDENTS ARE DOING, WITH THE
ORGANIZATION THAT I WORK WITH, THAT THEY ARE LEARNING THIS
INFORMATION AND THAT THEY THEN PAY IT FORWARD.
AND THAT IS MY HOPE.