Dr. Carrie Rosario

Public Health Education
School of Health and Human Sciences
Academic Professional Associate Professor, 2018

Between the World and Me
by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Between the World and Me, written in the form of a letter to Coates' son, captivated my attention just shortly after completing a dissertation focused on tobacco-related health disparities. Coates not only gave credence to the body of research that continuously unearths racial and ethnic health disparities, but also highlighted systems and structures in our society which were designed to perpetuate them. I remember opening my official degree letter as the news reported of another shooting of an unarmed black man; this time, he was shot in front of his son. As I thought about and held my own two boys, Coates' words echoed in my mind: "You must never look away from this." The mission of public health is to fulfill society's interest in assuring the conditions in which people - all people - can be healthy, through organized community effort. Between the World and Me reminds me, and I hope others, "to be a conscious citizen of this terrible and beautiful world", advocating for social justice and health equity.

View title in library catalog