history
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In 2026, we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the end of the first Reconstruction, the 100th anniversary of the origins of Black History Month, and the 50th anniversary of its official federal recognition. In February 1926, historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) launched the first…
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A recent article in Allure reported that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) again missed its already extended deadline of December 2025 to act on a proposed ban on the use of formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals as an ingredient in hair-smoothing or hair-straightening products marketed in the United States that are applied to the hair…
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Blavity last month covered the release of the children’s book “A Black Girl and HerBraids” by Philadelphia-based actor, poet, and author Jaylene Clark Owens. Described as a love letter to Black girls, the book celebrates Black culture, beauty, and resilience through the lens of hair. The book is adapted from Owens’s original poem that went…
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By Tyler Kyser and Marisol Castro The health of Black and Indigenous women in the United States reflects a long parallel history of inequality and a continuum of harm. From historic forced and coerced sterilization to ongoing neglect, the treatment of Black and Indigenous women in healthcare remains an issue that demands continued attention and…
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By Nneka Nwabueze, Equal Justice Society, Summer Legal Intern & JD Candidate at Howard University School of Law ’27 To understand and address health inequity today, it is important to know that many of the disparities we see now are rooted in decisions and policies that were created over a century ago. One of the…
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As we celebrate the liberation and emancipation from slavery this Juneteenth, we acknowledge the deep repair that is still needed in this country. In 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed EJS President Lisa Holder and EJS Board Member Donald Tamaki to the California Reparations Task Force after the passage of AB 3121, authored by Assemblywoman Shirley…
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This month is the tenth anniversary of the Flint, Michigan water crisis where residents uncovered that they were being exposed to lead, a highly toxic metal that is especially dangerous to children, through their public water supply. Ten years later, our clients in Jackson, Mississippi and Benton Harbor, Michigan are still fighting for access to…
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By Lisa Holder, President, Equal Justice Society We commemorate Black History Month in 2024 just a few years shy of its 50th anniversary, having first been observed in 1976 by President Gerald Ford. In his brief presidential message, Ford alluded to the observance of Black History Month being a “message of courage and perseverance” that…
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tin Luther King Jr. Celebration on January 15, 2024, in Santa Monica.
Health Equity News 