The Gulf of Mexico disasters of 2005, replayed in 2010 in man-made form, brought into sharp focus and stark relief, for the entire world, the widening chasm between the “haves” and “have-nots” in the US. In American poet laureate Dana Gioia's classic essay on why the situation of poetry is of consequence to the entire intellectual community, he wrote, “A society whose intellectual leaders lose the skill to shape, appreciate, and understand the power of language will become the slaves of those who retain it—be they politicians, preachers, copywriters, or newscasters” (Gioia 2002, 17). As public health scholars and practitioners, our commitment to social justice, equality of opportunity, health enhancement and disparities elimination, locally and globally, infuses our work, and, for many, our activities during our discretionary time as well. Melding of messages delivered through scientific endeavor and poetic reflection may serve to inspire, direct and catalyze the social change needed to make progress toward these lofty, and attainable, goals and aspirations, to manifest then-Senator Barack Obama’s fiery declaration in his 2004 Democratic Convention address of the “audacity of hope.” As a capella women's music group Sweet Honey in the Rock asserts in Ella’s Song, “We who believe in freedom cannot rest….”
As public health professionals, we place disproportionate emphasis on the science driving the development of health interventions, and devote insufficient attention to the science of disseminating that knowledge to increase individual and societal adherence to healthy practices. Furthermore, most health decisions are emotionally and socially, versus intellectually or cognitively, driven! As resources inexorably constrict and need relentlessly grows, we must increase our efficiency by living our professional convictions—socially, economically, politically and spiritually, through the “scholarship” of engagement. As Gandhi asserted, “we must be the change we wish to see in the world.” And we must marshal all of our talents, forces and resources, the seen and the “unseen.”
My poetry, a mix of self-discovery, social commentary and health advocacy, with frequent use of sports as a metaphor, sometimes veers toward the political. But, of course, as a physician for over a quarter-century—of populations now, not individuals—health broadly defined (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, financial) surfaces in most of my work. And basketball has become a coda for identification with black culture, as its visible and exquisite manifestation of excellence, assertion of dominance and channeling of anger and frustration symbolizes our hopes and dreams as a people. Especially at the intersection of race and gender, as in We, Too, Are Ballas.
...thriving, striving and deriving
the last ounce of energy, determination
frustration at any limitation!
Engendering fearlessness
in other arenas,
in which ovaries
give us competitive advantages
over cojones.
During the run-up to the 2008 election, President Barack Obama used his love of basketball to signal his blackness when some African Americans questioned his identity or cultural grounding. Basketball also supplies the “props”—assertion of insider status—to criticize our own. Like the all-too-common sexual risk-taking and early childbearing among young black people that bubbled up in B-Ball Blues.
…These ballin' brothas
Many, not all
Plantin' babies
'Thout committin'
To the sistuhs
Carryin' 'em...
Non-men
Disingenuous boys
Don't they know
That the anger
Of those sistuhs
Toward them
Will be visited
Upon their sons
These ballin' brothas
Many, not all
With so much talent
Drive, discipline
And sheer power
Caught up in toys--
Rides, Cribs,
Threads,
Boxes
Rather than politics,
Literature, spirituality,
Education, health
NBA is mo' letters
'N most of 'em
Can handle
At one time...
These ballin' brothas
Some, a few
Are men...
Who should be celebrated
With Martin, Malcolm and Marcus…
Not so much
For this career
As for that
Which is sure
To follow
I’d like to advance my 7 A’s of Constructive Public Health Action, against chronic disease, violence, social injustice and the many other threats to the health of our communities.