The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) presented its Conference on Health Disparities in January 2009 at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. The conference is part of the NABJ Media Institute’s professional development program to better train journalists on the increasing number of health disparities in the black community and to help empower their newsrooms toward increased coverage.
The two-day event for journalists and media professionals focused on health care policy, HIV/AIDS, low-birth weights, heart disease and the inadequate treatment of prisoners and the effect on communities of color once they are released.
The Rock of Escape, in conjunction with Morehouse School of Medicine is training 16 high school students from the New Schools at Carver School of Health Sciences & Research to conduct a health project that affects African-American males. The students who attended the conference were also given the opportunity to speak at the luncheon.
Invited presenters included former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, Dr. Kevin Fenton of the Centers for Disease Control, Phil Wilson of the Black AIDS Institute, and Marian Wright Edelman of the Children’s Defense Fund. The conference was made possible by funding from The Shering-Plough Corporation, Morehouse School of Medicine and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
