Why do you think Black History Month is important? And what does it mean to you?

Black History Month is important to me because it's another opportunity to refute the lie of a false hierarchy of human value. Dr. Carter G. Woodson created Black History Month because he understood that our history was being denied and being made invisible in a society that was built on the false hierarchy of human value. My first experience in celebrating Black History, not just a month, was in a segregated elementary school in Cleveland, Ohio. We had teachers, many of whom were African Americans who lifted up our heroes, e.g., Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks. I grew up with a sense of the value of my own identity in my own community. I came of age during the Civil Rights era. In many ways, Black History Month is one of those things that helps to define who I am.

What is an event or moment in Black History that has directly influenced your life, or that you believe is especially important?

The moment in Black History that influenced my life was the election of President Barack Obama. It was an inspiration and a reminder that it is possible to mobilize and galvanize a critical mass of leadership and civic engagement in this country and to move beyond the limitations of adherence to racial hierarchy. It was a living, breathing illustration of the possibility! It meant a great deal to me and still does as I reflect on those times. We also must be realistic and acknowledge the backlash that that monumental accomplishment triggered in our society. However, most of our country wants to move forward into a country that honors and respects the value of all people equally.

Who is a Black individual that you believe has enhanced the field of public administration?

Phil Rutledge was an academy Fellow as well as a mentor of mine. He brought so much energy to the National Academy of Public Administration. He had a tremendous impact on the field of public administration. I encourage you to look up his bio as an Academy Fellow. He was one of the earliest African American Academy Fellows and created our Standing Panel on Social Equity. He was way ahead of his time in terms of being an advocate for racial justice and racial equity within the field of public administration.

Who is a Black individual that has influenced your specific area of work?

The person that has influenced my field of work is Dr. David Satcher (pictured right). Dr. Satcher was the Surgeon General of our country, and a high-ranking official in our U.S. Public Health Service. Under his wise leadership, our country began to track and hold itself accountable for health outcomes as a nation. I am fundamentally focused on healing, health, and well-being. The Healthy People idea, and the Healthy People Index was introduced under his leadership as the Surgeon General. This is where the rubber meets the road. We must hold ourselves accountable for closing racial and ethnic health disparities/inequities gaps; and for creating equity in terms of health and well-being. Our structures of racial hierarchy influence the social determinants of health and well-being in a negative way. They contribute to the disproportionate health inequities that were made so visible during this pandemic.

How do you plan to observe Black History Month?

I intend to advance and celebrate Black History Month by being engaged in some sort of public-facing activity every single day this month. I intend to lift up my heroes, to tweet about these people, and to accelerate my work.

Why do you think diversity in the workplace is important and how can we work to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace?

I think we can advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace by having intentional efforts and strategies to bring people together of diverse backgrounds. I've developed an approach to that, which I call RX Racial Healing. It is designed to make this work a positive experience for people. It is designed to help us have lived experiences and share authentic stories of diverse groups.

Individuals can also take the Implicit Association tests online through Harvard University. This is an online self-examination we can do to measure our own biases. It is the racial and other biases that can drive decisions; decisions that people in authority, like public administrators make. I think it should be part of our responsibility as leaders to examine our biases and to work hard to overcome them.