RWJF

An America where everyone can flourish is still possible. And when democracy, equity, and health feel fragile, hope lives in the people who refuse to give up on one another. Read more in the #LinkInBio about what this moment asks of us and how we can rise to meet the call, together. 📸 Photo by @brianadamsphotography for RWJF. This Ku.éex' ceremony in Angoon, Alaska brought generations together as the U.S. Navy issued a long-overdue apology for the 1882 bombardment of the Tlingit community. A powerful moment of truth-telling, reclamation, and healing—held on Tlingit land, led by Tlingit people.

Civic participation isn’t just about elections, it’s about our health. Government policies can make it easier or harder for families to access care, afford food, or live in safe neighborhoods, which means our wellbeing is directly tied to the strength of our democracy. After a conversation with Reverend Arline-Bradley, Dr. Avenel Joseph explores how communities are pushing back against policies that harm health. She breaks down how voting, organizing, and speaking up directly shape the policies that protect—or threaten—our wellbeing. Stay involved and stay loud. Read more in the link in bio. 🔗

Black women executive directors are shaping the future of health equity. The Black Women’s Executive Directors (BWED) Program is a national leadership initiative supporting Black women-led social justice organizations and their leaders. These organization's leaders are deeply rooted in community and drawing from lived experience and proven strategies to drive impact. BWED invests in their sustainability, collective power, and long-term leadership. Meet the inaugural cohort and learn more at the link in bio. Images captured by the talented @lailaannmarie

Building a future where every child can thrive starts with the courage to confront our past and repair what’s been broken. The New Jersey Institute for Social Justice [@NJISJ ] continues to model what courageous community leadership looks like. The organization is advancing work rooted in truth, repair, and the belief that every community deserves the opportunity to thrive. The Institute has answered the call for moral courage, detailing New Jersey’s often-ignored ties to slavery and calling for reparations as an essential remedy to enduring harms. Their leadership shows what it means to pursue repair with clarity and purpose.

The Department of Education is putting a cap on how much graduate students can borrow for programs like nursing, social work, and public health. What this means for our healthcare system: 👩🏽‍⚕️The healthcare workforce will become smaller and less diverse 🏥 Rural communities and underserved urban areas will struggle to access care 🩺 Progress to close health gaps affecting rural communities, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQIA+ people, and people with disabilities will stall This moment deserves our attention because education is a public good that should be accessible to everyone regardless of race, class, or income.

It's a workforce issue. It's a community issue. And it's absolutely a health equity issue. As federal caps on student loans tighten, the path into healthcare careers is getting even more expensive while our need for nurses, public health workers, and social workers keeps growing. The students who face the most barriers will feel the impact first. First-generation students, low-income students, and students from marginalized racial and ethnic groups. They bring essential experience and commitment to our healthcare system, but rising costs threaten to shut them out. And for those who push through, the price is steep: Private loans with high interest rates and dept that can follow them for decades.

New policy threats like fewer visas and Education Department caps on student loans risk pushing us even further from a healthcare workforce that reflects us all. Avenel Joseph of @RWJFoundation and @joelbervell discuss how we got here, the current threats to an equitable healthcare system, and how to course correct. #healthcarepolicy

In 2025, the Administration lost more than 70% of legal challenges  thanks to organizations like Democracy Forward Foundation, @NILC , @lawyerscomm , and ACLU.  Americans are defending progress in courtrooms and communities nationwide as threats to erode our democracy intensify. If there are other cases we should know about, drop them below. 👇

Courage fuels change—then and now. From the Civil Rights movement to today’s efforts to advance health equity, progress depends on people willing to confront harmful systems and imagine something better. When we choose courage, we unlock the potential to foster lasting social connections, build neighborhoods where all residents can thrive, and dismantle systemic barriers that stand in the way to health equity.

The Supreme Court ruling this week further limited critical civil rights protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This decision strips voters of color, especially Black voters, of their political power and their right to have fair political representation. We will continue to fight for justice and a multiracial democracy that advances health equity for all.

Who gets to become a doctor isn’t random. It’s shaped by policy. By funding. By who we decide is “worth” investing in. On Instagram Live, I sat down with Avenel Joseph from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to talk about something we don’t discuss enough: Why the healthcare workforce doesn’t reflect the communities it serves. What the research actually shows about representation and patient outcomes. How policies like student loan caps could limit who even gets the chance to enter healthcare. And how visa restrictions impact the communities that rely on international health professionals. We dove into who gets seen, heard and ultimately cared for. If you’ve ever felt dismissed in a healthcare setting or wondered why your doctor didn’t understand your experience, or if you’re a student questioning whether there’s space for you in medicine, then this conversation is for you. So drop a comment and let me know, did your doctor growing up look like you? And if this resonates, share it because the people who most need this conversation often aren’t already in it.

As the oldest HBCU medical school and the only one with R1 research status, Howard University College of Medicine [@howard1867 ] has spent 150 years preparing physicians who serve communities too often overlooked. Today, they’re expanding who gets to enter medicine and who gets to benefit from it. And as one of the nation’s leading research institutions, they are institutionalizing diversity in medical discovery and improving patient outcomes. At every level, the university enhances representation across the future healthcare workforce. Through Mini-Med School, STEM outreach, innovative research opportunities, and leadership development, the university nurtures talent early and supports it all the way through. When more students see themselves in medicine, trust deepens, outcomes improve, and healthcare becomes more equitable for everyone. Swipe to learn more. ➡️