GBH News Rooted

This week on Basic Black we will be discussing sickle cell disease. It’s one of the most known inherited blood disorders that largely affects Black and brown people. A debilitating disease for those who have it, along with the strain on their families, sickle cell “warriors” live in constant pain. Life-threatening medical issues include stroke, eye damage, infection and pulmonary issues, making Covid very risky for those with sickle cell disease. Currently, the only cure for SCD is a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. Many companies are conducting clinical trials. Advocates hope there will be more focus and attention on SCD to increase services and ultimately find a cure. Guest Panelists: Dr. Charl Azar, Medical Director, Comprehensive Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Center at Mass General Hospital State Representative Bud Williams, of the 11th Hampden district in Springfield AND Chairperson, Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights, and Inclusion Carissa Juarez, a mother of child living with sickle cell disease. She is also a Patient Ambassador for Massachusetts Sickle Cell Association. Dima Hendricks, Health Advocate, Activist, Author, and a Sickle Cell “Warrior” Crystal Haynes hosts.

Over the summer, Gov. Charlie Baker passed the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, or CROWN Act, intended to protect against hair discrimination and bias based on hair texture, that’s historically associated with someone's race. Once the bill is passed in the Senate, it would make hair discrimination based on the texture of natural hair illegal in the workplace and in K-12 public and charter schools. Still, many states do not have these laws protecting against discrimination, resulting in stories of Black men, women, and children being punished for their hair and in some incidents of having their hair cut off. This controversy has sparked a rise in the natural hair movement, first originated during the 1960s in the U.S., and now more people of color are finding each other online and sharing their natural hair journeys, including; awareness about natural hair care products, natural treatments, hair loss and scalp conditions, and finding local salons and natural hair stylists. On this episode of Basic Black, we discuss the impact of the CROWN Act and rise in the natural hair movement. Host Kristen L. Pope will be joined by: Nike Okediji, owner of The Curated Curl and Deputy General Counsel at GBH; Celeste Viciere, therapist and podcast host; Sharita Payton, owner of The LOFT Hair Studio; Dr. Deborah Scott, Co-Director, Hair Loss Clinic at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Over the summer, Gov. Charlie Baker passed the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, or CROWN Act, intended to protect against hair discrimination and bias based on hair texture, that’s historically associated with someone's race. Once the bill is passed in the Senate, it would make hair discrimination based on the texture of natural hair illegal in the workplace and in K-12 public and charter schools. This week on Basic Black, we discuss the impact of the CROWN Act and rise in the natural hair movement. Host Kristen L. Pope will be joined by: Nike Okediji, owner of The Curated Curl and Deputy General Counsel at GBH; Celeste Viciere, therapist and podcast host of, “Celeste the Therapist”; Sharita Payton, owner of The LOFT Hair Studio; Dr. Deborah Scott, Co-Director, Hair Loss Clinic at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

In recent years, food foraging has piqued the interests of nature enthusiasts seeking out medicinal alternatives and edible resources. Alexis Nikole Nelson aka Blackforager has amassed nearly 4 million followers on TikTok, educating and encouraging people to forage neighboring trails, woods, and within their backyards as a way to reconnect with their cultural heritage. Historical food foragers George Washington Carver and Harriet Tubman taught the skill as a means for survival. However, before you head outdoors to go foraging, learn about the health and wellness benefits of foraging and listen to the safety warnings from our guests before consuming what you foraged. Guest Panelists: Maria Pinto, writer, forager, and a self-proclaimed "mushroom enthusiast" Jerel Ferguson, urban farmer, herbalist, forager, and Community Outreach Manager from Speak for the Trees in Boston. Donna Latson Gittens hosts.

This week on Basic Black at the Boston Public Library discuss the launch of the Berklee College of Music Gospel Performance Program during the summer aimed at giving high schoolers an immersive learning experience about the history of gospel music, techniques, and insight into the gospel music industry. Panelists: Prof. Dennis Montgomery , Berklee College of Music Rev. Dr. Emmett G. Price III, Dean of Africana Studies for the Berklee College of Music. Donna Latson Gittens, hosts.

July is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month or BIPOC Mental Health Month. Since 2008, this was named after journalist, author, educator, and mental health advocate, Bebe Moore Campbell. Her contributions and legacy remind us that BIPOC communities are significantly more likely to develop mental health conditions, including burnout, a form of exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged emotional, physical, and mental stress. This week on Basic Black Extra: Basic Black at the Boston Public Library, a discussion about burnout in the workplace and its effect on the BIPOC community, women of color and millennials. Guest Panelists: Celeste Viciere, LMHC, therapist, author, and host of the ‘Celeste the Therapist Podcast’ Cecil Webster, MD, psychiatrist, and lecturer at Harvard Medical School Donna Latson Gittens hosts

June 24: Roe v Wade has been overturned. In a highly controversial decision, the Supreme Court overturned the landmark decision from 1973 that gave people the right to have an abortion. The panel discusses what happens next regarding the ruling’s impact on birthing individuals of color as well as issues affecting same sex marriages, trans rights, teaching health and wellness in schools, the ability to cross state lines, cost and finding health services. Panelists: Renée Landers, Professor of Law, Faculty Director of the Health and Biomedical Law Concentration and the Master of Science in Law: Life Sciences program at Suffolk University Law School in Boston Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, Executive Director for Lawyers for Civil Rights in Boston Renée Graham, Associate Editor and Opinion Columnist for the Boston Globe’s op-ed page Chastity Bowick, executive director of the Transgender Emergency Fund of MA Callie Crossley hosts.

The road to motherhood raises a range of emotions and questions from what to expect when expecting to people telling soon-to-be moms, “You glow.” But the joy of motherhood for Black and other women of color is fraught in continual racial disparities in maternal healthcare. Research suggests having a health practitioner of color or using a doula provides improved outcomes and an easier pregnancy. However many women and people of color face the risk of dying in childbirth. What can be done to help them to receive the medical care necessary? Panelists: Dr. Ndidiamaka (IN-DeeDee-AH-mah-KAH) Amutah-Onukagha (AH-muh-TAH – OH-noo-KAH-GAH) Assistant Dean, Associate Professor, and Founder of the Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice at Tufts University. Ketura’h Edwards-Robinson, MSN, Nurse Practitioner and Manager of the Maternal Child Health Program at the Dimock Center in Roxbury, Massachusetts*.* Rep. Liz Miranda, State Representative for Suffolk County’s 5th District. Her district comprises parts of Roxbury and the Dorchester neighborhoods of Boston. She is also running for State Senator for the Second Suffolk district. Callie Crossley hosts.

The rise of race-based violence, hate and discrimination This week the episode will look at recent mass shooting deaths of African Americans in Buffalo as well as Africans and African Americans caught in Russia's conflict with Ukraine and how the globalization of discrimination, bigotry and hate, intersects in our lives. We’ll also discuss treatment of refugees when they are resettled in the U.S. How are people of color impacted by the rise of devastating race-based violence, hate crimes, and discrimination both here and abroad? Panelists: Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, Executive Director, Lawyers for Civil Rights in Boston. Dr. Sandra Mattar (MAH-tar), Clinical Psychologist, assistant professor, AND Director of Training at the Immigrant and Refugee Health Center, Boston Medical Center. Dr. Clarence Lusane, Professor of Political Science and Director of the International Affairs program, Howard University. and by PHONE, EVA CASTILLO, Director of the New Hampshire Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees for MIRA, the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. Phillip Martin hosts.

May 13 Basic Black: Food Justice in the Community This week, a conversation about the lack of accessible, affordable, and culturally relevant food in communities of color and its intersectionality into health, economic development, and day-to-day living for people. Panelists: Hae In Kim, Deputy Director of Planning & Development, The Mayor’s Office of Food Justice Vivien Morris, RDN, LDN, MPH, MS, Founder, Mattapan Food & Fitness Coalition Cassandria Campbell, Co-Founder, Fresh Food Generation Patricia Spence, President, and CEO, Urban Farming Institute Callie Crossley hosts.