The livestream below will begin at the time of the event.

The COVID-19 global pandemic has wreaked havoc on the lives of millions of people. While no one is immune to this pandemic, communities of color have been hit hardest due to long-standing racial inequality in the United States. COVID-19 is not only highlighting inequality in America, it is exacerbating entrenched racial and ethnic disparities that have been in our society for centuries. Join leading national experts in an engaging dialogue on actions that can be taken to address racism and inequality during the pandemic. 

This webinar will feature a discussion between Danyelle Solomon, vice president, race and ethnicity policy at the Center for American Progress; Joia Crear-Perry, founder and president at the National Birth Equity Collaborative; Derrick Beetso, general counsel at the National Congress of American Indians; and Jamila Taylor, director of health care reform and senior fellow at The Century Foundation. 

Join us on Wednesday, June 10 at 2:00 pm as we discuss policies and programs that can improve the health and well-being of communities of color.

Please register to obtain the Zoom link.

Featuring:

  • Moderator, Jamila Taylor, director of health care reform and senior fellow at The Century Foundation
  • Danyelle Solomon, vice president, race and ethnicity policy at the Center for American Progress
  • Joia Crear-Perry, founder and president at the National Birth Equity Collaborative
  • Derrick Beetso, general counsel at the National Congress of American Indians

Sponsored by The Century Foundation and Center for American Progress

Speaker Bios

Jamila Taylor is director of health care reform and senior fellow at The Century Foundation, where she leads TCF’s work to build on the Affordable Care Act and develop the next generation of health reform to achieve high-quality, affordable, and universal coverage in America. A renowned women’s health expert, Taylor also works on issues related to reproductive rights and justice, focusing on the structural barriers to access to health care, racial and gender disparities in health outcomes, and the intersections between health care and economic justice. Throughout her 20+ year career, Taylor has championed the health and rights of women both in the U.S. and around the world, promoting policies that ensure access to reproductive and maternal health care, including building support for insurance coverage of abortion. Taylor graduated with honors from Hampton University with a bachelor of arts in political science. She also holds a master’s degree in public administration from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Ph.D. in political science from Howard University. Taylor serves on the board of directors for Black Mamas Matter Alliance, March For Moms, and Mamatoto Village (where she serves as chairwoman of the board). 

Danyelle Solomon is the vice president of race and ethnicity policy at the Center for American Progress where she focuses on the intersection of economic and racial justice policy, voting rights and policing reform. Previously, she served as policy counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice’s Washington, D.C. office, where she focused primarily on criminal justice issues, including sentencing reform, corrections reform, policing reform, and racial disparities in the justice system. Prior to joining the Brennan Center, Solomon served as legislative counsel at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy within the Office of Legislative Affairs, where she focused on federal drug policy. Solomon also served as counsel to Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), then the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee. Solomon was responsible for a wide array of policy issues and also served as principal counsel to Sen. Cardin during the U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Solomon obtained her J.D. from the Pennsylvania State University and graduated from the University of Miami with a B.A. in political science.

Joia Crear-Perry, a thought leader around racism as a root cause of health inequities, speaker, trainer, advocate, policy expert, and fighter for justice, is the founder and president of the National Birth Equity Collaborative. Joia, a proud recipient of the Congressional Black Caucus Healthcare Hero’s award and the Maternal Health Task Force at Harvard University Global Visionary Award for Commitment to Advancing Women’s Health, is most known for her work to remove race as a risk factor for illness like premature birth and replacing it with racism. After receiving her bachelor’s training at Princeton University and Xavier University, Dr. Crear-Perry completed her medical degree at Louisiana State University and her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Tulane University’s School of Medicine. She was also recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Derrick Beetso, currently serves as General Counsel for the National Congress of American Indians, and focuses his work primarily on land and natural resource matters.  Prior to his work at NCAI, Derrick served as an Attorney-Advisor within the Office of the Solicitor’s Phoenix Field Office, and before that, Derrick served as Counselor to Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn.  Derrick received his juris doctor from ASU’s College of Law and currently sits on the ASU Indian Legal Program’s Advisory Council.  Derrick is Diné (pronounced Dih-neh), and originally hails from Coal Mine Mesa within the Navajo Nation.