Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 8, 2025

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care

Published on: February 16, 2011

Making Injustice Visible: How a Health Department Can Demonstrate the Connection Between Structural Racism and the

Lauren J Shiman¹, Kim Freeman, Jane Bedell

¹Bureau of Bronx Neighborhood Health, Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York City, New York (Mss Shiman and Freeman and Drs Bedell and Bassett). Dr Bassett is now at François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts.

Journal of Public Health Management and Practice : JPHMP

|September 21, 2020

Abstract

Context:

The New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has built a presence in Tremont, a historically redlined neighborhood located in Bronx, NYC. As part of an agency-wide commitment to explicitly name racism as a threat to healthy communities, DOHMH has sought opportunities to educate and engage in discussion about historical and current structural racism.

Program:

Between January and September 2018, DOHMH exhibited Undesign the Redline, a pictorial timeline and historical analysis of redlining, in its Tremont office. The exhibit exposed neglected history, making concrete the concept of structural racism.

Implementation:

DOHMH staff led 101 tours for 950 visitors, including employees, community partners, and residents. Tours were given in English and Spanish in three 2-month cycles over 8 months. Tour guides also facilitated interactive workshops with youth groups, community-based organizations, and teams from city agencies to engage participants in the design and ownership of new systems intended to "undesign" the consequences of redlining.

Evaluation:

Immediate feedback was requested from all participants at the conclusion of each tour and was collected on a bulletin board. Longer-term impact was assessed through an electronic survey sent to all participants who provided valid contact information to better understand ways that the exhibit impacted personal and professional actions. Participants reported talking with family, friends, and coworkers, seeking more information, and applying an equity lens to professional projects after experiencing the exhibit.

Discussion:

Hosting the exhibit in a local health department building offered a concrete opportunity to learn about and discuss structural racism. Exhibit tours had immediate- and long-term impacts on participants and contributed to sustainable changes internal to DOHMH work. This work presents a concrete practice to make injustice visible and engage in open conversation about structural racism to build community trust.

More Related Videos

Bridging the Technology Divide in the COVID-19 Era: Using Virtual Outreach to Expose Middle and High School Students to Imaging Technology

Bridging the Technology Divide in the COVID-19 Era: Using Virtual Outreach to Expose Middle and High School Students to Imaging Technology

Published on: September 28, 2022

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting

Published on: January 12, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination

Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination

Humans are very diverse and although we share many similarities, we also have many differences. The social groups we belong to help form our identities (Tajfel, 1974). These differences may be difficult for some people to reconcile, which may lead to prejudice toward people who are different. Prejudice is a negative attitude and feeling toward an individual based solely on one’s membership in a particular social group (Allport, 1954; Brown, 2010). Prejudice is common against people who...

Community Based Intervention

Community Based Intervention

Community-based interventions in mental health represent a paradigm shift from institution-centered care to treatments embedded within the fabric of local communities. By prioritizing inclusion and leveraging existing societal structures, this approach fosters a supportive environment conducive to addressing mental health challenges while promoting individual dignity and agency.
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...

Dimensions of Health and Illness

Dimensions of Health and Illness

The factors influencing the health-illness continuum can be internal or external and may or may not be under conscious control. They are related to the following eight human dimensions, and each dimension is interrelated to one other.

Strategies for Assessing and Addressing Confounding

Strategies for Assessing and Addressing Confounding

Confounding is a critical issue in epidemiological studies, often leading to misleading conclusions about associations between exposures and outcomes. It occurs when the relationship between the exposure and the outcome is mixed with the effects of other factors that influence the outcome. Given that, addressing confounding is of high importance for drawing accurate inferences in research.
Confounding can be addressed at both the design phase of a study and through analytical methods after data...

Bias in Epidemiological Studies

Bias in Epidemiological Studies

Biases can arise at various stages of research, from study design and data collection to analysis and interpretation. Recognizing and addressing these biases is essential to ensure the validity and reliability of epidemiological findings.Broadly speaking, biases in epidemiology fall into three main categories: selection bias, information bias, and confounding. A more detailed description of possible biases is:

Causality in Epidemiology

Causality in Epidemiology

Causality or causation is a fundamental concept in epidemiology, vital for understanding the relationships between various factors and health outcomes. Despite its importance, there's no single, universally accepted definition of causality within the discipline. Drawing from a systematic review, causality in epidemiology encompasses several definitions, including production, necessary and sufficient, sufficient-component, counterfactual, and probabilistic models. Each has its strengths and...

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

A Qualitative Study of Physicians' Decision-Making in Four US States With Abortion Bans.

Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health·2026

A plan for black American reparations.

BMJ global health·2026

The emotional and social impact of COVID-19 on postpartum women: A qualitative analysis on the experiences of women who gave birth during the pandemic in New York City.

Women's health (London, England)·2025

The intersection of food insecurity and child health: Implications for policy and practice in the Bronx.

PloS one·2025

Addressing Sexual Consent: Youth Participatory Action Research with the New York City Department of Health.

Progress in community health partnerships : research, education, and action·2025

Sliding down the socioeconomic health gradient of COVID-19 in New York City: multinomial regression analyses of disproportionate financial hardship for Black, Latino, and Asian residents and households with children.

Frontiers in public health·2025

See all related articles