ONTARIO HIV TREATMENT NETWORK (OHTN) CONFERENCE Leo Wilton, Ph.D., - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

ONTARIO HIV TREATMENT NETWORK (OHTN) CONFERENCE

Leo Wilton, Ph.D., MPH Binghamton University Department of Human Development November 21, 2016

“The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action”: Theorizing African Diaspora Health

Leo Wilton, Ph.D., MPH

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS

AUDRE LORDE

“I have come to believe

• ver and over again that

what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised

• r misunderstood. That the

speaking profits me, beyond any other effect.”

A CRITIQUE OF SYNDEMIC THEORETICAL CONCEPTUALIZATIONS

• Some of the possibilities of syndemics:

Some of the possibilities of syndemics:

• Possibility of mo

ssibility of moving the f ving the field of public health be eld of public health beyond nd a a uni-centric le uni-centric level of analysis t l of analysis to a a multif multifact actorial le rial level

• Possibility of engaging int

ssibility of engaging interrelationships of rrelationships of

• verlapping epidemics that influence HIV disparities

erlapping epidemics that influence HIV disparities

• Signif

Significant theore icant theoretical and em tical and empirical limitations of pirical limitations of this area of scholarly inq this area of scholarly inquir iry (gr y (grounded in unded in epidemiologic frame epidemiologic framewor

• rk)

k)

A CRITIQUE OF SYNDEMIC THEORETICAL CONCEPTUALIZATIONS

• Void in

id in considering socio-structural and -cultural considering socio-structural and -cultural specificities f specificities for Black communities at the core of r Black communities at the core of this analysis (e.g., structural racism this analysis (e.g., structural racism)

• Socio-structural and –cultural f

Socio-structural and –cultural fact ctors pr

• rs provide the

ide the basis f basis for de r developing culturally gr loping culturally grounded HIV

• unded HIV

pre prevention int ention interventions strat entions strategies f egies for Black r Black communities communities

CONTEXT

• Thinking A

Thinking About Black Liv

• ut Black Lives Matt

s Matter er

• Ev

Evolving public discourse about structural violence

• lving public discourse about structural violence

embedded in Black communities that emerged based on embedded in Black communities that emerged based on the case of T the case of Trayvon Mar

• n Martin (r

in (racially pr acially prof

• filed and killed while

iled and killed while walking home in Florida) lking home in Florida)

• The T

The Trayvon Mar n Martin case receiv in case received (int ed (inter)national media er)national media att attention in ntion involving ongoing pr lving ongoing prot

• tests and outcr

ests and outcry in Black in Black communities, which culminat communities, which culminated int d into the Black Liv

• the Black Lives Matt

s Matter er Mo Movement ment

CONTEXT

• BLM f

BLM founded in 20 unded in 2012 b 12 by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Cullors, and Opal T Opal Tome meti ti, three Black q , three Black queer w eer women men

• Call t

Call to action that af action that affirms firms Black communi Black communities and ies and addresses structural violence addresses structural violence

• The salience of social jus

The salience of social justice and human rights – tice and human rights – asymme asymmetrical po trical power ineq r inequalities alities

• BLM as a

BLM as a count counter-narr rrativ ative t e to post-racial and color post-racial and color- blindness discourses. blindness discourses.

CONTEXT

Accor ccording t ing to the Black Liv the Black Lives Matt s Matter Mo er Movement, “ ment, “When w hen we sa say Black Liv y Black Lives Matt s Matter er, w , we ar are br e broadening the con

• adening the conversation

ersation ar around stat

• und state violence t

e violence to include all of the w include all of the ways in which ys in which Black people are int Black people are intentionally lef entionally left po powerless at the hands of rless at the hands of the stat the state. W

• e. We are talking

are talking about the w about the ways in which Black ys in which Black liv lives are depriv s are deprived of our basic human rights and ed of our basic human rights and dignity….Ho dignity….How Black w Black women bearin men bearing the bur g the burden of relentless en of relentless assaul assault of our children and ou t of our children and our f r families is stat milies is state violence. e violence. Ho How Black q w Black queer and trans eer and trans f folks bear a uniq lks bear a unique bur ue burden fr en from

• m

a a het hetero-patriar

• patriarchal society that disposes us lik

chal society that disposes us like garbage garbage and simultaneously f and simultaneously fetishizes us tishizes us and pr and profits of

• fits off of us, and

f of us, and that is stat that is state violence…” (Black Liv e violence…” (Black Lives Matt s Matter er, n.d.). , n.d.).

INTERDISCIPLINARY THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS

• African/African Diaspora/Caribbean Studies, gender studies,

queer/gay/lesbian/bisexual studies, sexuality studies

• Build knowledge and theory as a basis to incorporate socio-

historical, -political, -economic, and –cultural contexts in the lives of BMSM.

• Provides a critical approach to the work on health inequities that

engage a critique of macro- and micro-level processes that influence structural inequalities for Black communities.

10

BLA BLACK LIVES MA CK LIVES MATTER TTER

Kalief Browder

• 1993-2015
• Detained - Rikers Island
• Suicide
• Mass Incarceration

RACIALIZED VIOLENCE ON BLACK GIRLS

12

BLA BLACK LIVES MA CK LIVES MATTER TTER

Monique Morris

• Explores the

criminalization experiences of Black girls in schools

• Educational inequities –

policies

• Racialized and gendered

sterotypes about Black girlhood

• Agency & Resiliency

BLACK LIVES MATTER

Toward a Black Psychology (1970)

 White stridently advocated for the importance of developing a

theoretical perspective of Black psychology in the context of Black philosophy, Black families, and Black dialect: “It is virtually important that we develop, out of the authentic experience of Black people in this country, an accurate workable theory of Black people. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to understand the lifestyles of Black people using traditional theories by White psychologists to explain White people.”

BLA BLACK LIVES MA CK LIVES MATTER TTER

Keeanga Yamahtta Taylor

• Examines socio-historical

and –political contexts of racialized structural inequalities

• Mass incarceration
• Black un/under-

employment

• BLM > Black liberation

THINKING ABOUT AGENCY AND RESILIENCY