"Health equity cannot be achieved without sharing power..."

Liv Anna Homstead is the Coalition Building Manager at the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts.

"Collectively with my colleagues, our coalition work addresses issues such as climate justice, incarceration, housing, youth mental health, and access and connection to critical resources. All of these issues are connected to the historical, institutional, and systemic layers of racism and oppression that have shaped our communities. This makes our work complex, requiring relationship building, cultural humility, and a passion for continuous learning – a journey that started for me over a decade ago when I participated in an Undoing Racism workshop. 

The Race and Health Equity Resource Guide provides a wealth of resources to support the work. Tools like Countering the Production of Health Inequities, How History Has Shaped Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, frameworks by the Interaction Institute for Social Change, and Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity, have helped me to deepen my understanding, collaborate with diverse communities, and together build shared visions and objectives.

Health equity cannot be achieved without sharing power with the most impacted individuals and communities. At the heart, our coalition work strives to create safe, accessible, and empowering spaces for community members to lead the change for a more equitable future."

Find more resources in the Race and Health Equity Resource Guide.