The Center for Health Equity, which is fueled by the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, relaunched their space, debuted their new brand, and introduced the community to their team.
On January 20th, 2023, community members attended Reopening for Equity, an all-day event that was designed as a re-introduction to the Center for Health Equity, its purpose, and the ways it can be used to benefit the community’s equity efforts. Throughout the day attendees had several opportunities to connect deeply with each other and our shared history, and explore what’s possible when passionate people from different perspectives share intentional space together.
Three separate sessions were hosted:
- The morning session was entitled LEARN: Building an Equity Movement and it guided guests through the Building an Equity Movement exhibit, a collection of examples from our local history when people came together to secure rights, combat injustice, and work together to advance racial and health equity. The session explored the exhibit and its companion website, screened sections of the History of Civil Rights and Social Change in Pinellas County documentary, and offered participants opportunities to engage with each other and share their lived experience around social justice and our collective history.
- The afternoon session debuted the idea of Connection Days at the Center. CONNECT: Getting Together to Do More was an interactive session to build community between people already doing equity work as well as those who are interested in getting more involved.
- The evening session invited guests to CREATE: The Center Experience. This celebratory session provided an overview of the Center, its purpose, and the process to request its use to benefit equity efforts. Attendees were encouraged to imagine possibilities together, get to know each other, and recognize the unique ways each of us bring power to this work. Performances by the Lakewood High School drumline, singer Siobhan Monique, and spoken word poet Dennis Amadeus rounded out the night.
Photo albums for both the AM sessions and PM session are available on our Flickr account, and several local news outlets shared their coverage and impressions of the event.
- A New Day Dawns for Equity — St. Pete Catalyst
- Foundation For a Healthy St. Petersburg Reopens Center for Health Equity to the Community — 83 Degrees
- Center for Health Equity in St. Pete Reopens — Modern Globe
- Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg Reopens Center for Health Equity — Tampa Bay Business Journal (paywall)
We are so grateful for everyone who made it out to help us relaunch this space and to all the people who worked to help make it a reopening to remember.