Solidarity Week 2019
The theme for our 2019 Solidarity Week focused on the history and present relations between Penn Medicine and the West Philadelphia community. In this way, we hoped to deepen our institutions understanding of and engagement with the biopsychosocial-political needs of our neighboring West Philadelphia community. More specifically, we highlighted the history of Penn’s involvement with West Philly and its role in providing for, but in many ways structurally creating, the above mentioned needs within this community. Additionally, all event food was provided by minority-owned businesses known for making the West Philadelphia food scene one of a kind.
Day 1: Town Hall • February 11, 2019 • Philly Cuts Barbershop
On Monday, 02/11/2019, West Philadelphia community leader Darryl Thomas, Penn GHHS’s own Shelley Thomas, and the Penn Student National Medical Association (SNMA) held a Town Hall meeting at Philly Cuts Barbershop. During this event, medical students and community members engaged in in-depth discussions regarding the current affairs of Penn Medicine’s relationship with the West Philadelphia community. Specifically, Penn GHHS and IMPaCT members shared primary care resources and held a general discussion on diabetes care with community members. Thereafter, a Q&A session took place space where questions, comments, and concerns from community members and Penn students were discussed in detail. To address the many structural and health-related injustices faced by this community, we hope that this event will lead to future collaborative efforts between Penn medical students and members of the West Philly community in critically ameliorating these historical injustices and present day disparities.
Day 2: History of West Philadelphia Panel Discussion • February 12, 2019 • Jordan Medical Education Center
On Tuesday, 02/12/2019, West Philadelphia community leader Darryl Thomas and the Assistant Vice President of Community Relations at UPenn Glenn Bryan led an in-depth conversation at our medical school about the history of West Philadelphia. Co-moderated by GHHS’s own Vidya Viswanathan and Claudia Gambrah-Sampaney, the panel discussion covered topics such as red-lining, the Black Bottom, and the University of Pennsylvania’s perspective on its relationship with the West Philadelphia community.
Day 3: Gentrification Panel Discussion • February 13, 2019 • Jordan Medical Education Center
On Wednesday, 02/13/2019, Lisa Quattlebaum, founder of The Homesteadista and a Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Counsel board member, Walter Palmer, JD, lecturer at the Graduate School of Social Policy and Practice, Louis Massiah, independent documentary film maker, former UPenn artist in residence, and founder of the Scribe Video Center in Philadelphia, and Emily Dowdall, Policy Director at Reinvestment Fund and prior Research Officer with the Pew Charitable Trusts, lead an in-depth conversation about the impacts of gentrification on environmental, food, economic, and educational injustices faced by members of the West Philadelphia community. They were joined by Penn GHHS’s own Claudia Gambrah-Sampaney, who planned and moderated this event.
Day 4: Islam in West Philadelphia Panel Discussion • February 14, 2019 • Jordan Medical Education Center
On Thursday, 02/14/2019, Iman Kenneth Nuriddin, Resident Imam for the Philadelphia Masjid, led an in-depth discussion on the history of Islam in Philadelphia. Specifically, he emphasize the importance of cultural competency in medicine and the distinctions between the Islamic practices and identities of black American’s within the Islamic faith and individuals who practice Islam with Middle Eastern / North African descent. He was joined by Penn GHHS’s own Hanna Elmongy who planned and moderated this event.
Day 5: Trauma Informed Care Panel Discussion • February 15, 2019 • Jordan Medical Education Center
On Friday, 02/15/2019, Melanie Nelson from Northwest Victim Services, Dr. Marsha Richardson, a Penn clinical psychologist active in the West Philadelphia community, Dr. Sandhyaa Iyengar, Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Fellow at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Reverend Dr. Renee McKenzie-Hayward, the Vicar / Chaplain for Church of the Advocate in North Philadelphia, led an hour-long discussion regarding what comprises comprehensive, community-centered, trauma informed care in Philadelphia. Topics discussed included medical students’ responsibility to seek trauma informed care education, the community’s role in responding to trauma, self-care as a practice of trauma-informed care, and adverse childhood events (ACEs). They were joined by Penn GHHS’s own Amanda Labora who planned and moderated the event.
Day 5: West Philadelphia Mural Arts Tour • February 15, 2019
To close Solidarity Week 2019, Penn GHHS and the Penn Medicine Program for Diversity and Inclusion took 38 individuals on a private trolly tour of the many West Philadelphia art murals. In doing so, we hoped to provide a deeper, visual account of the history and present narratives of members / communities within this neighborhood.
Student Gratitude Cards and Shoutouts
Throughout Solidarity Week, Penn GHHS Student Wellness Chair Neha Mukunda organized two initiatives to celebrate student wellness at Penn Medicine. Specifically, Neha developed a “Student Shout Out” platform where medical students were able to submit messages of appreciation about their classmates and their efforts. These messages were displayed on two large, T.V. screens in the medical school atrium throughout Solidarity Week. Additionally, on Valentines Day, Neha organized a letter writing station for students to write and send letters of gratitude to one another.
