Achieving health equity has been one of my life’s passions since I fought for civil rights alongside giants like Harry Edwards, who taught me that top-down fixes fail marginalized communities. Lasting change happens when those facing injustice shape solutions based on lived experience.
As debates bubble on public health policies, we must ask whether proposed reforms actually empower Black Americans – or impose supposed benefits without input from those impacted. Too often, those closest to the pain lack power in health policy conversations. Yet ethical, durable progress comes when affected populations play an integral role tailoring remedies to meet their needs.
