Leading Change at Berkeley Public Health: Building the Anti-racist Community for Justice and Social Transformative Change

Abstract

What is already known on this topic? Schools and programs of public health (SPPH) have a moral, ethical, and disciplinary imperative to address problems that undermine our collective mission to improve health and well-being for all. Many SPPH have declared racism a public health crisis, but little guidance exists in the published literature for addressing racism, including structural racism, in academic public health. What is added by this report?We describe ARC4JSTC, an inclusive data-informed initiative at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health, for actively working toward becoming an antiracist institution.What are the implications for public health practice?We conclude with a discussion of lessons learned and next steps to inform antiracist institutional change efforts in SPPH.

Combating Racism Through Research, Training, Practice, and Public Health Policies

“…Both Allen et al ( 38 ) and Polston et al ( 39 ) describe efforts to eliminate institutional-level racism in schools of public health through organizational change efforts. Allen et al describe a comprehensive process at the University of California, Berkeley, whereby the organization is undergoing an active and transformative longitudinal process to embed antiracism throughout the school’s culture and practices.…”

“…Several approaches to dismantling institutional racism are described in this collection. Rinderknecht et al (37) describe work to break down structurally racist processes and cultural barriers to entry into medical careers. They describe a novel longitudinal mentorship program for aspiring medical students who come from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine.…”