Listen Learn Act Class Members:  Recap Class 4 Oct. 4th- Listen Learn Act

Thanks to those of you who were able to join us over Zoom as our guest speaker, Kentucky Rep. Attica Scott, spoke to us from North Carolina where she works as a key staff person for the Poor People’s Campaign.

Attica began by asking us to be ACCOMPLICES, not just advocates or allies, in dismantling racism.

She lives in west Louisville and knows firsthand the barriers for health equity.  She identified such problems as,

• Environmental racism –  from toxic emissions generated from multiple chemical facilities, especially “Rubbertown,” that affect the soil and air.

• Lack of transportation – 60% of west end residents do not own cars and depend on public transportation (which desperately needs improvement)

• A majority of west end residents rent their homes and affordable housing is hard to find.  Rents keep going up, yet the minimum wage remains stagnant.

• Lack of grocery stores that provide fresh, healthy food

• Food access (through SNAP) is becoming more difficult to obtain due to new Ky legislation

• Health care in our capitalistic society is usually employer-provided for full-time employees. Those without that type of job suffer many of the disparities we talk about.

• White voices are heard over Black voices – decisions about west Louisville are being made about and for Blacks, but not by Blacks.

Like some of our other guest speakers, she noted the impact of the protests in bringing racial inequity to the forefront of public discussion; we are now discussing change that Black people have long been calling for.  Like Sadiqa Reynolds, she pointed out that the voices that get heard in our state are largely white voices. We need to take that to heart and continue speaking up for fairness for our Black brothers and sisters.

Recommendations:

• Get involved!  Show up for each other (whites and Blacks) to speak out against racism.  Join such groups as Listenlearnact.org and Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)

• Read the Metro Gov Health Equity Report (2017): https://louisvilleky.gov/government/center-health-equity/health-equity-report

• Find and join groups that are working for cleaner air and soil, food and health equity.  These include,

  • Sierra Club

  • REACT (Rubbertown Emergency ACTion) https://ej4all.org/react

  • Urban Gardeners programs such as,

    • Jefferson County Cooperative Extension

    • The Portland Orchard Project

    • Louisville Grows

• Support Black-owned businesses that are on the front line in community services.

• Vote “NO” on Amendment 2 that would limit / block access to abortion in Kentucky.

• Speak up on issues that will be up for discussion / vote in the upcoming legislative session.

• Write your elected officials and ask them what they are doing to assure health and mental health equity, including funding for mental health providers for adults and in schools.

Recording:  Please note, fast forward to the 4:40 mark to avoid ‘set-up’ conversation. https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/RzqpZbNwUNnlGq2quHry7KSGf-NLx13vkDSWs0XEymbgupW-6Z_FRIgAPpIyEJY4.u1tzRBqpFAPUw8bH?startTime=1664887349000

Passcode: iC@W2rhi

Syllabus:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1S0-XddGO4wEoBg2YNaRa-Y6HDtiBcLNMd3eLRBPKOCU/edit?usp=sharing

WFPK and Frazier Museum are partnering to create an open forum for discussion about mental health and the importance of shared personal stories to STOP THE STIGMA surrounding mental health on Oct. 10th from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.  For tickets to this free event, click here:

https://www.fraziermuseum.org/calendar/stop-the-stigma

Finally, we want to thank the Earth and Spirit Center for providing this free course to the public. Our hope is that we can learn and act to change our community. To support the Earth and Spirit Center, click here:

https://www.earthandspiritcenter.org/donate/

With warm regards,

Di Kerrigan

Debbi LaPorte

Joe Phelps

Listen Learn Act Class Members,

Thanks to those of you who were able to join us yesterday for the Listen Learn Act class! Our guest speakers Lyndon Pryor of the Louisville Urban League, and Elishia Durrett Johnson of Begin to Talk, gave us an overview of A Path Forward, and also kicked off our journey for this Mental Health and Health Equity class.

From this conversation, we were called to action to,

• Get educated on policy issues that impact the elements of the Path Forward, Jobs, Housing, Education, Policing and Health.  And, then VOTE – and recruit others to register and vote.

• Contact your Metro Council member and ask them to fully fund the Deflection Program in all districts with extended hours (24/7).  To learn more about the program, read here: https://www.wave3.com/2022/06/09/ema-director-program-transferring-mental-health-calls-crisis-workers-is-working/

If you weren’t able to join us today, I’m sending the link to the class recording.  Please feel free to share it.

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/4jWSl_HatidramiFoJBCGWDG0B3M8ZCMiql3uGoZUArvK9JSJAdvdsqawDUHz90y.3o9Z_CxIMxRn5-cX 

Passcode: 9Y$X1^Bi

For access to the class syllabus, click here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1S0-XddGO4wEoBg2YNaRa-Y6HDtiBcLNMd3eLRBPKOCU/edit?usp=sharing

Finally, we want to thank the Earth and Spirit Center for providing this free course to the public. Our hope is that we can learn and act to change our community. To support the Earth and Spirit Center, click here:

https://www.earthandspiritcenter.org/donate/

With warm regards,

Di Kerrigan

Debbi LaPorte

Joe Phelps