History of Tobacco, Slavery, and Health: Understanding how yesterday influences today 

Please join us for a webinar hosted by Wanda Givens from the Women of Color Health Equity Collective and featuring Michael Scott from the Center for Black Health and Equity and Doris Cullen from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

African Americans suffer disproportionately in almost all categories of health disparities. This presentation will delve into the contributing factors of African American health disparities including menthol flavored tobacco and how systemic racism, which will provide context to the cumulative effects of  racism over centuries, has set the playing field today that we are all operating on – how it shows up in our lives, wealth and health – using tobacco as a medium for the story. 

This event was made possible through funding from the Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program (MTCP).

For interpretation or other accessibility needs, please contact Keleigh Waldner at KWaldner@PublicHealthWM.org or 413-794-2897 by Friday, June 10, 2022. We will do our best to fulfill any requests. Advance notice will help us to provide seamless access.

Speaker Bios

• Michael Scott, CHES was hired at The Center for Black Health & Equity in October 2015. He currently serves as Senior Program Manager overseeing Tobacco and Cancer prevention and education programming. He has 18 years of public health experience on the national, state and local levels. His work has focused on disease prevention in the areas of HIV, diabetes, cancer, and tobacco use prevention. Prior to his position at The Center, he served as a Health Education Specialist at both the Durham County Department of Public Health and Duke University Medical Center. Mr. Scott holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Health Education from North Carolina Central University and is a Certified Health Education Specialist.

• Doris Cullen is a Community Engagement Facilitator with the Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program (MTCP) at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Doris has worked with MTCP for 28 years and has published articles related to tobacco product design and use rates. She has consulted with Harvard School of Public Health, the State of Maryland, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Most recently, Doris became actively involved in MTCP efforts to expose, challenge, and dismantle structural racism in the social determinants of health; where we live, learn, work and heal; which influence the tobacco-related health inequities seen in the data. She is training as a racial equity facilitator, has facilitated White People Challenging Racism affinity groups, and is a member of the Racial Equity Leadership Team of the Bureau of Community Health and Prevention at MDPH. She received her MA in Social Research Methods and Sociology from the George Washington University.