Doctor Mehret

It’s been a good week. I found out I was appointed to be a part of the 2009-2010 Class of White House Fellows on Thursday and I have been receiving so many kind messages from loved ones all weekend. (To learn more please check out the official press release.)

I am excited about moving to D.C. and being a part of a historic administration.  I plan on soaking up all I can regarding how policy change works and listening in on as many conversations as I can find myself in.  Will keep you posted on all I learn.

In the meantime, there is a great Gordon Parks quote I will leave you with:

“There’s another horizon out here, one more horizon that you have to make for yourself and let other people discover it, and someone else will take it further on, you know.”

Thembi Ngubane was a brave 24 year-old HIV positive young South African woman who passed away last week. She recorded an AIDS diary in 2006 that was broadcast by NPR to over 50 million listeners in the U.S., Canada, Australia, U.K. and her native South Africa. The themes she touched on in the diary are about profoundly common human experiences. “She was smart and perceptive and self-reflective in a way that many people aren’t,” says Mr. Richman, who won an Overseas Press Club Award for the broadcast. Her story galvanized many to act in the service of others in South Africa and around the world. She is a great example of how one person’s story can inspire others to serve. For more about her, please check out the WSJ article “Young South African Women’s AIDS Diary Touched Millions of Listeners”, 6/13/09.

Come join me in Los Angeles at the first Health and Human Rights Conference. I will be speaking on the Healthy Housing panel.

Have you ever thought about the connection between housing and health? Well, the following are relevant internationally recognized human rights from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to consider:

Article 7: All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 17: 1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well in association with others 2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 25: (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. (2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Come learn about how all of this relates to health. Details can be found at: www.southlahealthandhumanrights.org. In the meantime, listen to what Rep Kucinich said about our conference below.