Once There Were Many

Once There Were Many brought together three critically engaged writers, activists, thinkers—Abdul-Aliy Muhammad, Ericka Hart, and Lauraberth Lima—to reflect during a year of incalculable loss of Black life at the hands of white supremacy. Moderated by Programs Associate Blake Paskal, panelists discussed medical racism, its history and the institutional structures that purposefully ensure Black people are the least cared for and affirmed in their medical treatment. The title of the program was borrowed from the title of a Ronald Lockett sculpture that mourns both the ecological destruction caused by colonialism and the genocide of Black/Indigenous people.

See below for a recording of the talk:

As an arts-based organization promoting conversations about HIV, our starting point was a reflection on the work of several Black artists with HIV, followed by an examination of the disparities in HIV/AIDS medical care for Black and brown communities. From there we expanded out to a wider view of the medical industry's roots in chattel slavery and the numerous ways that Black people continue to be impacted by this legacy. From COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on Black communities, to fatphobic medical care, to the racist origins of gynecology there were a number of specific issues under the umbrella of medical racism that were discussed by drawing on the personal experiences and expertises of each panelist.

Panelist Bios:

Abdul-Aliy A. Muhammad (pronouns: they/them) is a Philadelphia born writer, organizer, and co-founder of the Black and Brown Workers Co-op. In their work, they often trouble ideas of medical surveillance, bodily autonomy, and Blackness.

Ericka Hart (pronouns: she/they) is a black queer femme activist, writer, highly acclaimed speaker and award-winning sexuality educator with a Master’s of Education in Human Sexuality from Widener University. Ericka’s work broke ground when she went topless showing her double mastectomy scars in public in 2016. Since then, she has been in demand at colleges and universities across the country, featured in countless digital and print publications including Buzzfeed, Washington Post, Allure, Huffington Post, BBC News, Cosmopolitan, LA Weekly, Vanity Fair, W Magazine, Glamour, Elle, Essence, Fader, Refinery 29, and is the face of three running PSAs on the television channel VICELAND. Ericka’s voice is rooted in leading edge thought around human sexual expression as inextricable to overall human health and its intersections with race, gender, chronic illness and disability. Both radical and relatable, she continues to push well beyond the threshold of sex positivity. Ericka is currently an adjunct faculty member at Columbia University’s School of Social Work and the CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College, a bratty switchy Sagittarius service bottom and misses Whitney more than you. Twitter, Instagram: @ihartericka

Lauraberth Silva Lima (pronouns: she/her) is a cultural consultant with over 10 years of experience in education and community engagement in cultural institutions. Lauraberth brings a social justice lens to consulting practice through interdisciplinary expertise in intergenerational engagement, health equity, youth development, early childhood education, museum and art education, as well as programming for LGBTQI+/gender non-conforming communities.

Lauraberth most recently served as the Director of Education for No Longer Empty and managed Family and Community Engagement Programs and the Internship in Museum Education Program at the Museum of the City of New York. She is a founding member of the arts education organization, The Love Yourself Project, NYC, 501(c)3 and a member of The Committee to Empower Voices for Healing and Equity (led by NYC DCLA). She serves as Vice Chair of the Advisory Board of Making Gay History and served as an Advisor on health and gender for Creative Time Summit X. Lauraberth has also worked as the Family Programs Coordinator at the Brooklyn Museum, the Education Director at the Boys and Girls Club of Boston, a Teaching Artist with the Healing Arts Initiative, and the Lead UPK Teacher in a Brooklyn Head Start program.

She is currently a non-traditional Pre-Medical Studies student applying to medical school and worked as a Researcher at Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center. Lauraberth earned her MFA in Photography, Video and Related Media from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.