This Bloomberg News story about black #CEOs in #SiliconValley reminds me of an 2007 incident I can laugh about now. In fact, I laughed about it then. It was so preposterous, I had to laugh to keep from smacking somebody. It was in Kampala, Uganda, and I was climbing into the back of a taxi with my then 22-year-old white male intern. I was the Resident Adviser for the Internews Network Radio Training Facility in in Gulu, Uganda, and we had traveled the six hours down to Kampala for meetings with partners. As we buckled in, the driver turned around, looked at both of us and then casually asked my colleague, "How much did you pay for her?" That's just one of many similar incidents that occurred on the African continent. I don't have enough space to share episodes that have occurred in #America --and #Europe --and #SoutheastAsia ....... You get my drift. I am a woman of African descent, and in many circles, some white people will never be able to see me as anything more than a negative stereotype because of that reality. THAT'S why talking about #race , #racism , #whiteprivilege and #raciallnjustice matters. #MyTwoCents #diversity #diversityandinclusion #diversitymatters #DEI …see more

The African Academy of Sciences has jut announced its second Grand Challenges Africa (GC Africa) ‘Transition to Scale’ call with a commitment of more than US$ 4 million to accelerate #innovations with the highest potential for impact and sustainable scalability needed to achieve the United Nations #SustainableDevelopmentGoals . “We are fully committed to achieving the #SDGs through rapidly scaling up and harnessing bold #scientificinnovations that show potential to provide sustainable solutions to complex health and developmental challenges faced by African countries.” Professor Nelson Torto , Executive Director of the African Academy of Sciences. Through the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency ( Sida ), this second call for funding supports the scaling and #sustainability of health interventions in #Africa . The deadline for Transition to Scale applications is 30th June 2020 at 2300hrs EAT. Get more details below. #SDGs #globalhealth #globaldevelopment #HealthForAll …see more

Thank you, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , for your leadership of the World Health Organization during this #globalhealth crisis. #defeatcovid19 …see more

Thanks to Nisan Abdulkader for sharing information about this upcoming discussion, “Coronavirus (COVID-19): Implications and Impact on African Economies.” Nisan will be joining a distinguished panel to discuss this critically important topic. I’ll be on a team call with Global Press Journal reporters in #DRC during the panel, but will definitely follow up on the recording. #Africa #coronavirus #COVID19 #globalhealth #globaldevelopment #africaneconomies #Africanbusiness #pandemicpreparedness #healthforall …see more

I'm starting the "Work From Home Challenge"..... I defy anyone to describe a better start to their day than I just had. Just spent 90 minutes Zoom-ing with the Global Press Journal #Mongolia reporters who are coming up with some terrific, contextual stories about the impact of #coronavirus in their provinces. Global Press Institute #COVID19 #WFH #WFHChallenge #wfhtaggingchallenge #globalcitizenship #globalcitizens #internationalreporting #globalhealth #globaldevelopment #journalism #editing …see more

At my desk in Washington, DC fighting back a tear as I read the news about United States Representative John Lewis.... And then I realize that I wouldn't be sitting at this desk in Washington, DC without the sacrifices and efforts of people like Rep. John Lewis.... So I square my shoulders and get back to work. #civilrights #humanrights #Americanpolitics #legends #MarchOnWashington https://lnkd.in/eF-wbcZ …see more

Thanks Gregory LaBlanc for a fun discussion... Best wishes for a successful trustees workshop series.

Thank you, Alan Watt , for sharing this link to a BBC video about #pregnancy and #childbirth experiences for black women in the #UK . The statistics don't lie: just as with African American women, the #maternalmortality rates for black women in the UK are five times higher than for white women. This video powerfully explains the core issue: the lived experiences for these women, and how they are treated during interactions with doctors, nurses and even some #midwives in pregnancy and delivery settings. This is such a complicated issue, and content that helps explain the crisis is urgently needed. #globalhealth #maternalhealth #reproductivehealth #reproductivejustice …see more

From UN Women , 2020 will be the year to celebrate 25 years of championing #womensrights following the 1995 United Nations Conference on Women in Beijing, China. #BeijingPlus25 #genderequality #genderequity #womenandgirls #UNWomen …see more

Just got off the phone with the marvelous Jennie Joseph , one of the six Fellows participating in The Aspen Institute Healthy Communities Fellowship program. https://lnkd.in/eQgiU7t Jennie called me from the airport where she's about to travel to the Women Deliver conference in Vancouver, BC. While she’s there, I'm positive she'll be a vocal advocate and champion for #midwifery . She seems to spend half of her time these days in transit; Jennie recently spoke about #maternalhealth and serving vulnerable women and families at #TheVatican , of all places. I look forward to hearing about her experiences there and at #WomenDeliver when I see her in Aspen on June 17. We’ll both be participating in the #Aspen #IdeasHealth Festival June 20-23rd. I'm thinking I should probably also get her autograph while it's still free! In the meantime, read about the "Humanity 2.0" project supported by the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral #HumanDevelopment below. #globalhealth #maternalhealth #reproductivehealth #womenandgirls #womenshealth #reproductivejustice #reproductiverights #HealthForAll #midwives #midwivessavelives #midwivesofcolor #doulas https://lnkd.in/e8QaqkJ …see more

Excited to share my story, about the latest outbreak of the deadly #Ebola virus and the pandemic response in the #DemocraticRepublicofCongo , for National Geographic Digital. It comes ahead of the three-night #NatGeoTV limited series “The Hot Zone,” starring Julianna Margulies which begins on May 27. #Africa #globalhealth #diseaseoutbreak #diseaseprevention #DRC #DRCongo #TheHotZone #NatGeoTV …see more

May is #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth , and I’ve often considered the incredible emotional and psychological pain and isolation experienced by people who endure #neglectedtropicaldiseases like #schistosomiasis , #elephantiasis , #leprosy and #trachoma . That’s in addition to the needless physical suffering caused by these preventable #diseasesofpoverty . Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases The END Fund Lepra #BeatNTDs #globalhealth #globaldevelopment #HealthForAll #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthsupport …see more

Lord, please give me just ONE WEEK to shadow Joy Wanja Muraya as she produces content for her "Wanja's Health Diary" platforms on Facebook and Twitter , and now her YouTube channel! She has definitely staked her claim as one of #Kenya 's premier #multimedia #health and #science journalists, and I need some mentoring! Check out her latest interview with Dr. James Mbogo of the University of Alexandria, Egypt as he gives a "Cancer 101" class on commonly-used terms, diagnosis and staging of #cancer . And don't forget to follow "Wanja's Health Diary" on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and please subscribe to her YouTube channel like I just did. #Africa #healthjournalism #WanjasHealthDiary …see more

I'm pleased to share some exciting news: Sightsavers ' one billion #neglectedtropicaldiseases treatments video has been named as a finalist in the Charity Film Awards . This means that the video is in the top 5 of its category and to win, and Sightsavers needs to get as many votes as possible. In the video you see seven-year-old Dorcas take a combined treatment for #onchocerciasis and #lymphaticfilariasis , as part of one of Sightsavers’ flagship programmes, UNITED, which is funded by the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) . The voting poll is live now until April 26th 2019. So please vote and share this information with your own networks who will support Sightsavers .. Voting open here: https://lnkd.in/ejZnceK @Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases #globalhealth #globaldevelopment #NTDs #BeatNTDs #EndAvoidableBlindness . …see more

There is so much at stake in #Kenya , where the country's #Parliament is set to vote on the so-called Two Thirds #Gender Rule later this month. The rule, mandated in Kenya's 2010 Constitution, stipulates that both the National Assembly and Senate should not have a composition of more than two-thirds of their members from one gender. The legislation was designed to address a stark reality in Kenya: the systemic marginalization and oppression of women. As has been demonstrated in other East African nations, having significant numbers of women in leadership roles makes a demonstrable difference in realms like health, education and progressive policy development. On Feb. 12th, I led a #journalism workshop on behalf of Women Deliver and #DeliverForGoodKENYA where 15 reporters from around Kenya heard from leading civil society, legal and political sectors who will explain what's at stake if the Two Thirds Gender Rule bill is passed after repeated attempts--and what could happen if it fails. Keep watching this space for updates about the workshop. #Africa #womensleadership #womeninpolitics #politics #policy #globaldevelopment #genderequality #genderequity #TwoThirdsNOW #GROOTSKenya FIDA KENYA FEMNET - African Women's Development and Communication Network Akili Dada Plan International …see more

Kudos to the The Star-Ledger Newspaper's Editorial Board for producing an authoritative, urgent statement about maternal and infant mortality in the eastern U.S. State of #NewJersey . New Jersey has among the largest racial gaps in the nation for infant and maternal mortality. And while poverty is a significant contributor, researchers say this gap can’t be explained by income or education alone. When studies compared black mothers with advanced degrees to poor white mothers who never graduated high school, the black mothers were still more likely to suffer severe complications in pregnancy, and their babies were more likely to die. #Reproductivejustice is not just an issue for women in the developing world. There is a crisis for women in America. @Women Deliver #BlackMamasMatter #globaldevelopment #birthequity #maternalhealth #infanthealth #maternalmortality #infantmortality #reproductivehealth #HealthForAll …see more

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is looking to award up to $350,000 for up to 8 projects that improve #communityhealth and advance #healthequity . Eligible, local approaches can focus on one or more of a range of determinants of health—including, but not limited to: #airquality ; #energy sources; #transportation or #mobilitydesign ; #food and #water systems; #housing ; and #healthsystems . Proposals should specify the determinants of health that the given approach is addressing, and the expected impact on health and well-being. Deadline for receipt of brief proposals is February 8, 2019. For more information, check out the link below. #RWJF #publichealth #globalhealth #climate #sustainabledevelopment #SDGs #communitydevelopment #neighborhoods #healthadvocacy #HealthForAll #solutions #innovation …see more

Here's journalist mary mwendwa 's story about her trip to Northeast #Kenya , to cover the impact of the country's nurses' strike, for the Al Jazeera Media Network . #Africa #journalism #globalhealth #healthreporting #healthjournalism #HealthForAll …see more

From the Journalism and Women Symposium (JAWS) on Twitter : Expand your leadership skills at every level of the #media industry with Take The Lead Women 's #50WomenCan program. "Take The Lead's 50 Women Can Change The World program requires participants’ willingness to be intellectually curious, to have the courage to amplify their voices, and to commit to the immersive and collaborative learning experience." "This unique program is targeted to the needs of aspiring, high-potential mid-level and executive-level women in media and journalism." "Ideal candidates have a strong desire to create a new narrative for themselves around their individual personal power and use it to contribute at a higher level within their organizations and to drive industry change." Apply by Jan. 4: #womenleaders #journalism #newsmanagement …see more

I'm so proud of actress TARAJI P HENSON for sharing the poignant story of her father’s post-Vietnam War mental health struggles on Facebook . Her decision to launch the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation could help spark a much-needed shift in attitudes about #mentalhealth in the #africanamerican community. #WorldMentalHealthday #mentalhealthcare #mentalhealthtreatment #blacksandmentalhealth …see more