EPISODE #54: Racial Disparities in Health – Mental and Physical
Guest: Jeff Campbell, MPA
Public Administration in Social Services, Minister
It hasn’t gone unnoticed that, for the past quarter century, Jeff Campbell’s career has led him to serve vulnerable and marginalized people throughout the Land of Lincoln. If experience, whether it be personal or professional, shapes a person’s perspectives and responses to life, then as a Black man hailing from Illinois and working in mental-health-related social services and ministry, Jeff’s life and career experiences give testimony to Lincoln’s recognition that “all men are created equal,” and fellow minister, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s observation: “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman…” The statements, spoken a century apart, galvanize the irony that Jeff witnesses repeatedly in his work: that despite our Forefathers’ proposition of all [men] being equal, racial disparities pervade America nearly 250 years later. But, as Jeff posits, “People are working to put themselves into the work that needs to be done. We’re seeing it. And it’s hopeful!”
In open dialogue between two good friends – one Caucasian: Executive Director Tom Duff, LCSW, and one African American: Jeff Campbell, MPA – this Mental Health Matters episode takes on an in-depth conversation about a hot-button topic that is often easier to avoid than it is to address: racial inequality in health and social services. See and hear what Tom and Jeff share from their experiences and perspectives as men of different races who work in the same field. As dialogue would have it, there’s so much we can learn from one another, if we but listen and respond with dignity and respect.
Sponsorship Opportunity
If you are interested in helping to break down stigma by sponsoring Mental Health Matters, let us know! Send an email to Debbie Dugan at [email protected]. Because, mental health really does matter!
