Dreaming Up Well Futures: Social Movements and Public Health

Abstract

While much of public health history has focused on transformations stemming from biomedical discoveries, the role of social movements in public health transformation is often overlooked. Both the Black Power and Civil Rights Movements organized for better access to care and more quality healthcare for Black populations as well as other marginalized groups. It has been noted that social movements like these, that work toward social justice, are associated with improved population health. In exploring the Black Power Movement, through analysis primarily of the work of the Black Panther Party (BPP), I come to question and reflect on how a tradition and practice of radical imagination underpins the ability of social movements to be such powerful vehicles for transforming public health. And in turn, how this critical imagining must shape my own positionality and future work as a public health practitioner and physician dedicated to health, justice, and self-determination for all marginalized peoples.