In Solidarity: Connecting Power, Place and Health

In the series’ final episode, Host Ericka Burroughs-Girardi talks with a young changemaker who offers insights on motivating other young people to get involved. Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina freshman Olivia Cody shares her experience encouraging fellow students to vote, volunteer and make a difference in their communities. She also discusses the obstacles they face.    

In this second episode of our three-part series, we’re tackling civic education and young people’s involvement in civic life: where we’re at as a country, what we can do to improve it and how it’s linked to our overall health. Host Beth Silver interviews prolific author Eric Liu, a self-described civic evangelist and CEO of Citizen University, an organization that promotes “powerful citizenship and civic education.” Silver and Liu discuss power, obligation and responsibility in a democracy.  

Students’ social studies scores have plummeted, due in part to disinvestment in civic education. Yet, studies show a clear connection between the civics foundation laid in schools and participation in our democracy into adulthood. And creating strong civic health equals healthier communities overall. Host Ericka Burroughs-Girardi kicks off the series with civic education expert Dr. Kelly Siegel-Stechler, a Tufts University senior researcher at the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), Siegel-Stechler discusses why improving democracy and our health requires shifting mindsets and investing in civic education.  

In Solidarity is back for a new series on the importance of supporting young people in strengthening our democracy and how building this foundation impacts everyone’s health. We’re bringing you three exciting conversations with civic education expert Dr. Kelly Siegel-Stechler, prolific author and Citizen University CEO Eric Liu, and a young community advocate and Winston-Salem State University freshman, Olivia Cody. 

When people closest to problems have the power to influence solutions, those solutions often benefit everyone. In our final episode of this series on civic health, hosts Beth Silver and Ericka Burroughs-Girardi explore strategies to ensure everyone has a voice and the opportunity for collective change. They are joined by Solange Gould, the co-director of Human Impact Partners, who discusses the role narratives play in building power and improving civic health.  Dr. Erika Blacksher, the John B. Francis Chair in Bioethics and a professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center, concludes our series by defining democratic deliberation and how it’s related to health equity. 

Public health and health care systems can play an important role in improving civic health. In the third episode of this series, hosts Beth Silver and Ericka Burroughs-Girardi dive into examples of public health and health care organizations’ efforts to increase civic participation. They are joined by Jeanne Ayers, the executive director of Healthy Democracy Healthy People, who discusses both challenges and victories to increase voter registration during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Aliya Bhatia, executive director of Vot-ER, shares how bringing voter registration into emergency rooms, hospitals and community health centers has moved health beyond the exam room. 

There’s a growing body of evidence that shows that people living in areas with structural barriers, such as laws that restrict voter eligibility, registration and opportunities to participate, have lower voter turnout and shorter life expectancy. In our second episode, hosts Beth Silver Ericka Burroughs-Girardi are joined by Daniel Dawes, executive director of the Institute of Global Health Equity at Meharry Medical College, and the founder of the political determinants of health framework. Dawes discusses how the political determinants have shaped communities’ abilities to define and address public problems. Dr. Peniel Joseph, an author, professor and founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at The University of Texas at Austin, also joins the conversation to provide examples of how tools of democracy — historical and present — have shaped where we are today. 

How do the opportunities to vote, have a say in our futures and connect in our communities impact our health? Hosts Ericka Burroughs-Girardi and Beth Silver explore civic health and its connection to everyone’s health. We kick off the series with Julia Kaufman, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, who explains why civic infrastructure is important and how it’s tied to health equity. We’re also joined by Dawn Hunter of the Network for Public Health Law and the lead author of the Health & Democracy Index, who explains the link between restrictive voting policies and poorer health outcomes. 

In Solidarity is back for a brand-new series on civic health.

Type “the gender pay gap” into any search engine and one of the first results that pops up will be: “The gender pay gap myth.” In the final episode of this miniseries, hosts Beth Silver and Ericka Burroughs-Girardi bust myths and break down the toxic narratives around the gender pay gap. They are joined by Dr. Jonathan Heller, a senior fellow at the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, who talks about how toxic narratives maintain systems and policies that keep women undervalued and underpaid. Dr. Jessamyn Schaller, an economics professor and co-author of The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap, concludes our series by making the connections between the pay gap and women’s health.