At the beginning of each of <\/span>Capital Collaborative<\/span><\/a>\u2019s <\/span>It\u2019s Not Your Money<\/span><\/i> interviews our guests are asked \u201cWhat shift in language do you think we need to make that might help diversify power?\u201d. Our series is titled <\/span>It\u2019s Not Your Money<\/span><\/i> for a reason<\/span><\/a>. We believe language is one important piece in shifting power in philanthropy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

To move towards building more equitable systems, we must also be willing to take a deep look at our history. The value of knowing your history is like a bow and arrow, you must pull back to be able to spring forward. We must pull back and really acknowledge the ways different groups of people have historically been (and continue to be) marginalized, in order to spring forward and build a future that centers the liberation of us all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

To paraphrase part of a conversation with Sudha Nandagopal (more below), writing a check will not be the silver bullet to save democracy. Democracy is bound up in our ability to be in relationship with one another. We need to be in communities of practice with each other.<\/span><\/p>

To shift philanthropy we must be able to learn about and interrogate our pasts while learning with and from each other, and in that context power can grow. Because power is not born, it is bloomed. People just need the space and resources to grow it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Here are some additional shifts in both language and power, paraphrased from a few of our latest <\/span>It\u2019s Not Your Money<\/span><\/i> guests:<\/span><\/p>

Shruti Jayaraman, Chicago Beyond, on trauma-informed funding<\/b><\/a>:<\/b><\/p>

  • Trauma is:<\/b> experienced in the body-brain, overwhelming our natural capacity to restore, integrate, and return to wholeness. Trauma can be individual, collective, or intergenerational.<\/span><\/li>
  • Our processes as funders, can cause trauma.<\/b> There can be performance of trauma as a pre-condition of funding. The best or worst story wins funding\u2013reinforcing trauma. We can redesign our investing processes to actually be healing.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>
  • Practice funding from a place of love. <\/b>This is not fancy or abstract. Show up from the deep core of humanity, from love. Ask yourself, how does truth flow in this relationship? We have all been in relationships where truth flows and we grow in our capability, and where it doesn\u2019t and we are left feeling and acting as if less is possible. Start very simply with your own every day relationships and how you may restore or harm one another. Think about it. Work at it.<\/span><\/li>
  • Sometimes risk in philanthropy is actually the risk of looking foolish. <\/b>Or the risk of not seeming in control. This has practical implications, such as keeping your distance and not doing anything differently. If you are not shouldering the risk - who is?\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul>

    Allandra Bulger, Co.Act Detroit, on what Black and Brown leaders really want and need for capacity building<\/b><\/a>:<\/b><\/p>

    • We don't use the word empower<\/b>. It\u2019s about supporting the power people already have. How are we sharing power? Sharing responsibility?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>
    • We don\u2019t need more experts. <\/b>Let's interrogate who we consider experts. How do we measure and value the unique expertise and lived experiences folks bring to the table who are already doing the work?<\/span><\/li>
    • We need patient capital.<\/b> This work takes time and often isn\u2019t in alignment with the timeline of a grant. We need the help of non-prescriptive funders who see that nonprofit success is funder success. Being lean and agile takes a toll. People are at the heart of organizations and need time and investment.<\/span><\/li>
    • We need trust.<\/b> We hear about trust-based philanthropy a lot, this should mean trusting each other to use resources responsibly. This doesn\u2019t mean conditional grantmaking or micromanaging every dollar.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>
    • We need an ecosystem. <\/b>We need networks of folks to build cross-sector relationships that work together and support each other. We need more awareness and acceptance to see failure as an opportunity to learn. To share power. The challenges we face are too big for any one organization or sector to focus on alone.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>

      Dennis Quirin, Raikes Foundation, on developing the missing collective identity of philanthropy as financiers of social change work<\/b><\/a>:<\/b><\/p>

      • Resources have a higher purpose. <\/b>It is easy for us to fall into the thinking that philanthropy\u2019s job is to reconstruct the world into our own image. Funders need to lean into a bigger collective identity than just being financiers of the priorities of our own specific organizations.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>
      • Funders need to be in the game, and fund to win.<\/b> But you cannot know what it takes to win until you are in <\/span>deep<\/span><\/i> relationship with your work or you can truly trust what you\u2019re told by others.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>
      • Fund with an ecosystem approach. <\/b>Fund around a set of issues or policies. Do you finance social change or the specific priorities of your own organization? What shifts would help you get past org-specific priorities? The value of funding in a particular area could benefit you greatly while supporting communities to have actual agency.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>
      • Using, and sharing, power. <\/b>Bring the values of collaboration to work. Understand your role in philanthropy, including the power you hold, while leaning into it with real humility to work to bring that power and agency out in others.\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul>

        Sudha Nandagopal, Social Venture Partners, on democratizing power<\/b><\/a>:<\/b><\/p>

        • Talk about broken systems\u2013not broken people.<\/b> Avoid the white savior complex and look at where money has been flowing.<\/span><\/li>
        • As funders, let\u2019s get accountable. <\/b>Are we doing our own work? Are we in true partnership or are we acting as saviors? Are we here because our liberation is tied up with others?<\/span><\/li>
        • How can we practice democracy in philanthropy? <\/b>We continue to see people left out of systems of governance. We must give folks the grounds to practice this and leave the notion that democracy is a one-time event when we go to the polls. Where in our daily lives do we see opportunities to democratize things? Where in philanthropy do we see these opportunities?<\/span><\/li>
        • You cannot purchase a piece of the work. <\/b>You must be willing to do the work as well. Power is within all of us and we have to figure out how to draw it out of all of us. We need to reinvigorate civil society to have a movement that brings in folks who may have historically had less access or influence and build our tables first for them.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>

          A huge thank you to all the guests who joined <\/span>It\u2019s Not Your Money\u2019s<\/span><\/i> first year, and who continue to speak truth to power courageously while working to shift it. To listen to future conversations, <\/span>follow Camelback Ventures on LinkedIn<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>

          \u2014<\/span><\/p>

          The Capital Collaborative<\/span><\/a> by Camelback Ventures works with white funders and social impact investors who want to deepen their individual and organizational commitment to racial and gender equity in philanthropy \u2014 but may not know how. <\/span>You can learn more about how to get involved by <\/b>submitting an interest form<\/span><\/a> for the Capital Collaborative\u2019s 2023 cohort or <\/b>signing up for the newsletter<\/span><\/a>.<\/b><\/p>","excerpt":"At the beginning of each of Capital Collaborative \u2019s It\u2019s Not Your Money interviews our guests are asked \u201cWhat shift in language do you think we need to make that might help diversify power?\u201d. Our series is titled It\u2019s Not Your Money for a reaso","byline":"By Krystal Kincaid, Associate of the <\/span>Capital Collaborative by Camelback Ventures<\/span><\/a>","author":"Camelback Ventures","author_bio":"Krystal has a passion for systems thinking and the redistribution of wealth. At Washington State University they explored these interests with a degree in Sociology & Anthropology graduating in 2019. In 2020 they became a Venture for America Fellow, a two-year fellowship program that gives recent college graduates firsthand startup experiences and helps them become leaders who make meaningful impact with their careers. They started their career and fellowship at SaaS company building out processes for a new sales and marketing team. Krystal had the fortune of working in many different sectors in New Orleans, including the non-profit, start-up, and hospitality industries.<\/span>\r\n\r\nKrystal aims to bring their passion for community building and creative problem solving along at Camelback Ventures. Krystal has served locally as a member of Fund 17\u2019s DEI and Programs Committee, a Health Line Manager for the Plan B NOLA Program at the Reproductive Justice Action Collective, and continues to organize with various mutual aid groups within New Orleans. In their free time, Krystal is found spending time with friends, reading, biking around the city, and tending to plants.<\/span>","author_img_url":"https:\/\/cdn.www.hbhuluo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/14102241\/KrystalKincaid_Headshot.png","publisher":"Camelback Ventures","type":"partner_post","image":"https:\/\/cdn.www.hbhuluo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/14102129\/Language-Shifts-in-Philanthropy-to-Diversify-Power-700x394.png","gc_medium_image":"https:\/\/cdn.www.hbhuluo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/14102129\/Language-Shifts-in-Philanthropy-to-Diversify-Power-400x225.png","has_featured_image":true,"img_alt":null,"img_caption":"","gc_selection":false,"url":"\/\/www.hbhuluo.com\/partners\/racial-equity-philanthropy\/language-shifts-in-philanthropy-to-diversify-power","is_gc_original":false,"is_evergreen":false,"footnotes":"","audio":false,"pdf":null,"video":false,"date_added":"Dec 14, 2022","date_modified":"Dec 14, 2022","categories":[{"id":46,"name":"Philanthropy","slug":"philantropy"},{"id":76,"name":"Human Rights","slug":"human-rights"},{"id":110,"name":"Region","slug":"region"},{"id":112,"name":"Impact Philanthropy","slug":"impact-philanthropy"},{"id":122,"name":"Global","slug":"global"},{"id":160,"name":"Race and Ethnicity","slug":"race-and-ethnicity"},{"id":259854,"name":"Democracy","slug":"democracy"},{"id":259865,"name":"Democracy (Other)","slug":"democracy-other"}],"_date_added":1670976000,"_date_modified":1670976000,"_categories":["philantropy","human-rights","region","impact-philanthropy","global","race-and-ethnicity","democracy","democracy-other"],"_tags":[]},{"id":213063,"title":"Key Takeaways for Funders from the 2022 Animal Grantmakers Conference Focused on Animal Sentience","summary":"","intro":"","content":"Philosophers from Aristotle and Aquinas to Descartes, Mill, Kant, and Schopenhauer have debated the moral status of animals for more than 2,000 years, with sentience being the most common denominator in animal ethics deliberations. If these theorists were alive today, they wouldn\u2019t have to ponder whether animals feel because evidence now demonstrates that mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish almost certainly do. Even bees and lobsters probably feel. And, for anyone who has seen the 2020 film My Octopus Teacher, it probably is hard to deny that these cephalopods feel, as well.Animal sentience \u2013 animals\u2019 capacity to experience positive and negative feelings that matter to them, such as pleasure, joy, pain, and distress \u2013 took center stage at Animal Grantmakers\u2019 23rd Annual Conference, held in Berkeley, Calif. Animal Grantmakers is the nation\u2019s only group of philanthropic funders focused on protecting and enabling the wellbeing of all animals. The conference brought together members, other funders, and animal and environmental advocates to discuss myriad issues \u2014 from the abuse of farmed animals and rise of alternative protein options to new, community-centric models to sheltering animals, and the movement toward racial justice in animal welfare and philanthropy. This year\u2019s conference was a partnership between Animal Grantmakers and Farmed Animal Funders.\u00a0Animal SentienceIn the opening keynote, Stevan Harnad, professor of cognitive science at the Universit\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec \u00e0 Montr\u00e9al, spoke about why protecting the feelings of animals \u2013 human and non-human \u2013 is so important. \u201cWe cannot see whether an organism can feel; we can only see its body and what it can do,\u201d Harnad said. \u201cFrom that, however, we can get a good idea. And for them, if they feel, nothing matters more than that we get it right.\u201dVicky Bond, president of The Humane League, Mikko Jarvenpaa, founder of Sentient Media, and David Pe\u00f1a-Guzman, associate professor at San Francisco State University, discussed the policy implications of the evidence of sentience for farmed mammals, birds, fish, and invertebrate species, including proof that animals dream \u2013 a sign of consciousness and artistic creation.If animals have moral standing, should they also have legal standing? Chris Berry, managing attorney at the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Joyce Tischler, professor of practice at Lewis & Clark Law School (and a trailblazer in the field of animal law for more than 40 years), and Monica Miller, senior consulting attorney for the NonHuman Rights Project, explained why animals are considered property and how that impacts their protection under the law. They also discussed some recent legal cases arguing for personhood for specific animals, such as the offspring of Pablo Escobar\u2019s hippos and \u201cHappy\u201d the elephant, who has lived in captivity at the Bronx Zoo for 45 years. In Happy\u2019s case, which the New York Court of Appeals rejected in June, legal personhood would have allowed her legal advocates to use habeas corpus to challenge her confinement. The speakers also reviewed the California Proposition 12 case, argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in October, which could impact the ability of states to set standards about how farmed animals are treated.The Interconnected Welfare of Animals and PeopleThe interests and fates of animals and people are fundamentally intertwined \u2014 a point hammered home at the Animal Grantmakers conference. Leaders of three California animal shelters discussed the changes they implemented in response to COVID-19 and how those changes led to a new, community-centric, animal-sheltering model that better meets the needs of animals and people where they live. Dr. Jyothi V. Robertson, a veterinarian and owner and principal consultant of JVR Shelter Strategies, highlighted the intersection of animal protection and education reform, climate change, social justice, and other issues. And James Evans, Hakeem Ruiz, and Dr. Karlyn Emile of Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity focused on the importance of funding \u201cproximate leaders\u201d: people, especially those of color, who arise from the communities and issues they serve and bring authentic truth, data, storytelling, and impact to saving animals\u2019 lives but who have limited access to resources, influential relationships, and opportunities to support their work.\u00a0\u00a0Factory FarmingWhile the public health risks and environmental impacts of factory farming are relatively well known, the less-discussed connection between that practice and systemic racism was the subject of a keynote from lauren Ornelas, founder and president of the Food Empowerment Project. Catalina L\u00f3pez Salazar, director of the Aquatic Life Institute, and Andrianna Natsoulas, campaign director of Don\u2019t Cage Our Oceans, spoke about the impacts of aquafarming or aquaculture, land-based factory farming\u2019s underwater equivalent. Rachel Dreskin, CEO of the Plant Based Foods Association, and Amy Huang, university innovation manager at the Good F...","html_content":"

          Philosophers from Aristotle and Aquinas to Descartes, Mill, Kant, and Schopenhauer have debated the moral status of animals for more than 2,000 years, with sentience being the most common denominator in animal ethics deliberations. If these theorists were alive today, they wouldn\u2019t have to ponder whether animals feel because evidence now demonstrates that mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish almost certainly do. Even bees and lobsters probably feel. And, for anyone who has seen the 2020 film <\/span>My Octopus Teacher<\/span><\/a>, it probably is hard to deny that these cephalopods feel, as well.<\/span><\/p>

          Animal sentience \u2013 animals\u2019 capacity to experience positive and negative feelings that matter to them, such as pleasure, joy, pain, and distress \u2013 took center stage at Animal Grantmakers\u2019 23<\/span>rd<\/span> Annual Conference, held in Berkeley, Calif. <\/span>Animal Grantmakers<\/span><\/a> is the nation\u2019s only group of philanthropic funders focused on protecting and enabling the wellbeing of all animals. The conference brought together members, other funders, <\/span>and animal and environmental advocates <\/span>to discuss myriad issues \u2014 from the abuse of farmed animals and rise of alternative protein options to new, community-centric models to sheltering animals, and the movement toward racial justice in animal welfare and philanthropy. This year\u2019s conference was a partnership between Animal Grantmakers and <\/span>Farmed Animal Funders<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

          Animal Sentience<\/h4>

          In the opening keynote, Stevan Harnad, professor of cognitive science at the Universit\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec \u00e0 Montr\u00e9al, spoke about why protecting the feelings of animals \u2013 human and non-human \u2013 is so important. \u201cWe cannot see whether an organism can feel; we can only see its body and what it can do,\u201d Harnad said. \u201cFrom that, however, we can get a good idea. And for them, if they feel, nothing matters more than that we get it right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

          Vicky Bond, president of <\/span>The Humane League<\/span><\/a>, Mikko Jarvenpaa, founder of <\/span>Sentient Media<\/span><\/i><\/a>, and <\/span>David Pe\u00f1a-Guzman<\/span><\/a>, associate professor at San Francisco State University, discussed the policy implications of the evidence of sentience for farmed mammals, birds, fish, and invertebrate species, including proof that animals dream \u2013 a sign of consciousness and artistic creation.<\/span><\/p>

          If animals have moral standing, should<\/span> they also have legal standing? Chris Berry, managing attorney at the <\/span>Animal Legal Defense Fund<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Joyce Tischler<\/span><\/a>, professor of practice at Lewis & Clark Law School (and a trailblazer in the field of animal law for more than 40 years), and Monica Miller, senior consulting attorney for the <\/span>NonHuman Rights Project<\/span><\/a>, explained why animals are considered property and how that impacts their protection under the law. They also discussed some recent legal cases arguing for personhood for specific animals, such as the offspring of Pablo Escobar\u2019s hippos and \u201cHappy\u201d the elephant, who has lived in captivity at the Bronx Zoo for 45 years. In Happy\u2019s case, which the New York Court of Appeals rejected in June, legal personhood would have allowed her legal advocates to use <\/span>habeas corpus<\/span><\/i> to challenge her confinement. The speakers also reviewed the California Proposition 12 case, argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in October, which could impact the ability of states to set standards about how farmed animals are treated.<\/span><\/p>

          The Interconnected Welfare of Animals and People<\/h4>

          The interests and fates of animals and people are fundamentally intertwined \u2014 a point hammered home at the Animal Grantmakers conference. Leaders of three California animal shelters discussed the changes they implemented in response to COVID-19 and how those changes led to a new, community-centric, animal-sheltering model that better meets the needs of animals and people where they live. Dr. Jyothi V. Robertson, a veterinarian and owner and principal consultant of <\/span>JVR Shelter Strategies<\/span><\/a>, highlighted the intersection of animal protection and education reform, climate change, social justice, and other issues. And James Evans, Hakeem Ruiz, and Dr. Karlyn Emile of <\/span>Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity<\/span><\/a> focused on the importance of funding \u201cproximate leaders\u201d: people, especially those of color, who arise from the communities and issues they serve and bring authentic truth, data, storytelling, and impact to saving animals\u2019 lives but who have limited access to resources, influential relationships, and opportunities to support their work.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

          Factory Farming<\/h4>

          While the public health risks and environmental impacts of factory farming are relatively well known, the less-discussed connection between that practice and systemic racism was the subject of a keynote from lauren Ornelas, founder and president of the <\/span>Food Empowerment Project<\/span><\/a>. Catalina L\u00f3pez Salazar, director of the <\/span>Aquatic Life Institute<\/span><\/a>, and Andrianna Natsoulas, campaign director of <\/span>Don\u2019t Cage Our Oceans<\/span><\/a>, spoke about the impacts of aquafarming or aquaculture, land-based factory farming\u2019s underwater equivalent. Rachel Dreskin, CEO of the <\/span>Plant Based Foods Association<\/span><\/a>, and Amy Huang, university innovation manager at the <\/span>Good Food Institute<\/span><\/a>, described the science and work behind cruelty-free protein and the new type of food market that is emerging as more and more alternative protein options make their way onto grocery store shelves. And Miyoko Schinner, CEO and founder of <\/span>Miyoko\u2019s Creamery<\/span><\/a>, delighted attendees with her personal story of innovation in the plant-based food world.<\/span><\/p>

          Plant-based Convenience Stores, P-22 the Mountain Lion, a Dog Named Sylvester, and More<\/h4>

          In a new series of TED-style talks at the <\/span>David Brower Center<\/span><\/a>, 10 experts shared their personal stories. For instance, Bobak Bakhtiari, an actor, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, described how and why he created <\/span>Hangry Planet<\/span><\/a>, North America\u2019s first 100% plant-based convenience store, in San Bruno, California. Dr. Aysha Akhtar, a board-certified neurologist and co-founder of the <\/span>Center for Contemporary Sciences<\/span><\/a>, talked about how her childhood dog, Sylvester, taught her about humanity. Miguel <\/span>Orde\u00f1ana<\/span>, senior manager for community science at the <\/span>Los Angeles County Natural History Museum<\/span><\/a>, told of his discovery of \u201cP-22,\u201d a mountain lion that inspired the construction of the world\u2019s largest wildlife crossing. Thomas Linzey, senior legal counsel for the <\/span>Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights<\/span><\/a>, who was named one of the top 400 environmentalists of the last 200 years, described the growing movement for the legal rights of nature.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

          Also new this year was the Animal Grantmakers Melanie Anderson Lifetime Excellence in Animal Protection (LEAP) Award, which was presented to Sharon Negri, founder and director of <\/span>WildFutures<\/span><\/a> (a project of the Earth Island Institute) and co-founder and former director of the <\/span>Mountain Lion Foundation<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>

          To learn more about Animal Grantmakers, visit <\/span>https:\/\/animalgrantmakers.org\/<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>","excerpt":"Philosophers from Aristotle and Aquinas to Descartes, Mill, Kant, and Schopenhauer have debated the moral status of animals for more than 2,000 years, with sentience being the most common denominator in animal ethics deliberations. If these theorists were","byline":"","author":"Animal Grantmakers","author_bio":"Conference Partners and Supporters<\/b>
          \r\n\r\nSix local organizations working on animal issues hosted Animal Grantmakers\u2019 conference participants for field trips: <\/span>
          Cat Town<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Muttville<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>San Francisco Animal Care and Control<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Marine Mammal Center<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Eat Just<\/span><\/a> (maker of JUST Egg).<\/span>\r\n\r\nA record number of Animal Grantmakers members\u201411\u2014sponsored the conference this year: <\/span>Life of Riley at Spring Point<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Thelma Doelger Trust for Animals<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> William and Flora Hewlett Foundation<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Maddie\u2019s Fund<\/span>\u00ae<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Summerlee Foundation<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Tigers in America<\/span>\u00ae<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Michelson Found Animals Foundation<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>PetSmart Charities<\/span><\/a>\u00ae<\/span>, <\/span>Kirkpatrick Foundation<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>The Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control<\/span><\/a>, and an anonymous donor. Animal Grantmakers also appreciates the generosity and support of Miyoko Schinner and Miyoko\u2019s Creamery, and Dave Phillips and the David Brower Center.<\/span>\r\n\r\n ","author_img_url":null,"publisher":"Animal Grantmakers","type":"partner_post","image":"https:\/\/cdn.www.hbhuluo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/14140341\/Miguel-Orden\u0303ana-700x394.jpg","gc_medium_image":"https:\/\/cdn.www.hbhuluo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/14140341\/Miguel-Orden\u0303ana-400x225.jpg","has_featured_image":true,"img_alt":"Miguel Orde\u00f1ana","img_caption":"Miguel Orde\u00f1ana, community science senior manager and a wildlife biologist at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC), talks about his unexpected discovery of Hollywood\u2019s famed mountain lion \u2013 P-22 \u2013 and overcoming barriers to pursue his passion for wildlife.","gc_selection":false,"url":"\/\/www.hbhuluo.com\/partners\/animal-philanthropy\/2022-animal-philanthropy-conference","is_gc_original":false,"is_evergreen":false,"footnotes":"","audio":false,"pdf":null,"video":false,"date_added":"Dec 14, 2022","date_modified":"Dec 14, 2022","categories":[{"id":58,"name":"Environment","slug":"environment"},{"id":73158,"name":"Animal Welfare","slug":"animal-welfare"}],"_date_added":1670976000,"_date_modified":1670976000,"_categories":["environment","animal-welfare"],"_tags":[]},{"id":213042,"title":"How Can Public Health Messaging Avoid Causing Stigma?","summary":"

            \r\n \t
          • An infectious disease researcher explores how public health messaging can be more inclusive to reduce stigma during public health crises.<\/li>\r\n \t
          • How will reducing stigma help with vaccination efforts? How can donors support public health campaigns that help communities most affected by disease outbreaks?<\/li>\r\n \t
          • Read more about communication during a public health crisis.<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","intro":null,"content":"During infectious disease outbreaks, clinicians and public health officials are tasked with providing accurate guidance for the public on how to stay safe and protect themselves and their loved ones. However, sensationalized media coverage can distort how the public perceives new emerging infections, including where they come from and how they spread. This can foster fear and stigma, especially toward communities that are already mistrustful of the health care system.The racial and sexual stigma surrounding monkeypox is what spurred the World Health Organization to rename the disease to mpox in November 2022. While this is a step in the right direction, I believe more work needs to be done to reduce the stigma surrounding infectious diseases like mpox.I am an infectious disease researcher who studies HIV, COVID-19 and mpox. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was the lead investigator at the University of Pittsburgh for a national survey looking at how COVID-19 has affected different communities. Effective public health communication isn\u2019t easy when conflicting messages may come from many sources, including family and friends, other community members or the internet. But there are ways that public health officials can make their own messaging more inclusive while mitigating stigma.Creating an inclusive messageInclusive public health messaging can motivate the public to make better decisions regarding their personal health and the health of others. This effort often involves engaging the communities most affected by an outbreak. Unfortunately, because these communities are heavily affected by the infection and tend to experience some form of inequity, they are often blamed by society for spreading the disease.COVID-19 drove an increase in hate crimes related to the pandemic against Chinese and other Asian communities in the United States. A 2022 UCLA survey found that 8% of Asian American and Pacific Islander adults in California experienced a COVID-19 related hate incident.Effective public health messaging can focus on the fact that while infections may first affect certain groups of people, they often spread to other groups and eventually encompass entire communities. Infections are caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi. They don\u2019t discriminate by race, gender or sexual orientation. Messages that focus on the pathogens, rather than the communities, may reduce stigma.Visually inclusive messages are also likely to engage a greater portion of the community. Examples include making sure that the people represented in posters and flyers, images on TV and websites, and other informational material are from diverse backgrounds. This sends a more unified message that what affects an individual also affects the larger community.Avoiding blame and fearMany media outlets, especially on social media, use fear-based messaging to report on infectious diseases. While this may reinforce certain protective behaviors, such as using condoms during sex, it may also increase stress and anxiety. Fear-based messages also worsen stigma, leading to increased discrimination against communities that are already vulnerable and mistrustful of health care. Ultimately, this leads people to avoid seeking health care and can worsen health outcomes.Public health officials have often used fear-based messaging in response to sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, like HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhea. Sex itself is highly stigmatized by society. I have found that some of my patients would prefer to avoid getting tested and treated for an STI rather than deal with the shame of having an STI.Making sexual health and STI testing routine and integral parts of overall wellness and health is an important step to reduce the stigma around them. Similarly, messaging that normalizes the challenges faced by people at risk for certain infections could help avoid causing shame.Tailoring the messageInfections affect different people differently. COVID-19 might be a mildly stuffy nose for one person, and it could be months in an intensive care unit hooked up to a ventilator for another. Messages that focus on the successes of medical and public health interventions that resonate with communities are most likely to be successful.Different groups have different exposure risks as well. Mpox heavily affected gay and bisexual men in 2022. One reason why was related to how the virus is transmitted. Prior research suggested that mpox was largely transmitted by close skin-to-skin contact, but emerging studies raised the question of whether the 2022 outbreaks were being driven more by sexual transmission.There was controversy as to whether public health messaging should highlight sexual encounters as a potential transmission route. This can risk further stigmatizing gay and bisexual men versus potentially overlooking these key at-risk populations. Some advocates argued that promoting the message that mpox was primarily transmitted by close contact would prevent resource...","html_content":"

            During infectious disease outbreaks, clinicians and public health officials are tasked with providing accurate guidance for the public on how to stay safe and protect themselves and their loved ones. However, sensationalized media coverage<\/a> can distort how the public perceives new emerging infections, including where they come from and how they spread. This can foster fear and stigma<\/a>, especially toward communities that are already mistrustful of the health care system.<\/p>

            The racial and sexual stigma surrounding monkeypox<\/a> is what spurred the World Health Organization to rename the disease to mpox<\/a> in November 2022. While this is a step in the right direction, I believe more work needs to be done to reduce the stigma surrounding infectious diseases like mpox.<\/p>

            I am an infectious disease researcher<\/a> who studies HIV, COVID-19 and mpox. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was the lead investigator at the University of Pittsburgh for a national survey<\/a> looking at how COVID-19 has affected different communities. Effective public health communication isn\u2019t easy when conflicting messages may come from many sources, including family and friends, other community members or the internet. But there are ways that public health officials can make their own messaging more inclusive while mitigating stigma.<\/p>

            Creating an inclusive message<\/h2>

            Inclusive public health messaging can motivate the public to make better decisions regarding their personal health and the health of others. This effort often involves engaging the communities most affected by an outbreak. Unfortunately, because these communities are heavily affected by the infection and tend to experience some form of inequity<\/a>, they are often blamed by society for spreading the disease.<\/p>

            COVID-19 drove an increase in hate crimes related to the pandemic against Chinese and other Asian communities<\/a> in the United States. A 2022 UCLA survey<\/a> found that 8% of Asian American and Pacific Islander adults in California experienced a COVID-19 related hate incident.<\/p>

            Effective public health messaging can focus on the fact that while infections may first affect certain groups of people, they often spread to other groups<\/a> and eventually encompass entire communities. Infections are caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi. They don\u2019t discriminate by race, gender or sexual orientation. Messages that focus on the pathogens, rather than the communities, may reduce stigma.<\/p>

            Visually inclusive messages<\/a> are also likely to engage a greater portion of the community. Examples include making sure that the people represented in posters and flyers, images on TV and websites, and other informational material are from diverse backgrounds. This sends a more unified message that what affects an individual also affects the larger community.<\/p>

            Avoiding blame and fear<\/h2>

            Many media outlets, especially on social media, use fear-based messaging<\/a> to report on infectious diseases. While this may reinforce certain protective behaviors, such as using condoms during sex, it may also increase stress and anxiety. Fear-based messages also worsen stigma<\/a>, leading to increased discrimination against communities that are already vulnerable and mistrustful of health care. Ultimately, this leads people to avoid seeking health care and can worsen health outcomes.<\/p>

            Public health officials have often used fear-based messaging in response to sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, like HIV<\/a>, chlamydia<\/a> and gonorrhea<\/a>. Sex itself is highly stigmatized<\/a> by society. I have found that some of my patients would prefer to avoid getting tested and treated for an STI rather than deal with the shame of having an STI<\/a>.<\/p>

            Making sexual health and STI testing routine and integral<\/a> parts of overall wellness and health is an important step to reduce the stigma around them. Similarly, messaging that normalizes the challenges faced by people at risk for certain infections could help avoid causing shame.<\/p>

            Tailoring the message<\/h2>

            Infections affect different people differently. COVID-19<\/a> might be a mildly stuffy nose for one person, and it could be months in an intensive care unit hooked up to a ventilator for another. Messages that focus on the successes<\/a> of medical and public health interventions that resonate with communities are most likely to be successful.<\/p>

            Different groups have different exposure risks as well. Mpox heavily affected gay and bisexual men in 2022. One reason why was related to how the virus is transmitted. Prior research<\/a> suggested that mpox was largely transmitted by close skin-to-skin contact, but emerging studies<\/a> raised the question of whether the 2022 outbreaks were being driven more by sexual transmission.<\/p>

            There was controversy<\/a> as to whether public health messaging should highlight sexual encounters as a potential transmission route. This can risk further stigmatizing gay and bisexual men versus potentially overlooking these key at-risk populations. Some advocates argued<\/a> that promoting the message that mpox was primarily transmitted by close contact would prevent resources and interventions from reaching the groups of people most affected by the disease.<\/p>

            One size does not always fit all when it comes to public health messaging. Multiple messages may be necessary for different groups of people based on their risk of infection or severe disease. An August 2022 Centers for Disease Control and Infection survey found that 50% of gay and bisexual men<\/a> reduced their sexual encounters in response to the mpox outbreak. Since late summer, mpox rates have been dropping<\/a> rapidly, and many experts think that both behavior change and vaccination may have contributed to the falling rates. Studies like these further support the importance of directly engaging with communities to encourage healthy behavior change.<\/p>

            Trusted messengers<\/h2>

            Mistrust is also a barrier to effective messaging. Some communities may be mistrustful of medical and health care systems because of prior histories of exploitation, such as the Tuskegee study<\/a>, where researchers prevented Black participants from receiving syphilis treatment for decades in the mid-20th century, and ongoing fear of mistreatment.<\/p>

            Identifying trusted community champions and health care providers \u2013 especially ones who belong to that community \u2013 to deliver a public health message may increase its acceptance. One 2019 study<\/a>, for example, found that Black men were more likely to accept vaccines, medical advice and engage in health care services if they had a Black health care provider.<\/p>

            Effectively delivering public health messaging is a complicated and challenging process. But talking to and listening to the communities most affected by an outbreak can make a difference.<\/p>

            Ken Ho<\/a>, Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences<\/a><\/em><\/p>

            This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>. The<\/span>\u00a0Conversation<\/span>\u00a0is a nonprofit news source dedicated to spreading ideas and expertise from academia into\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0public discourse.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>