The persistent health disparities affecting communities of color in the United States have deep systemic roots, and a new initiative aims to equip local leaders with the tools to address one of the most significant drivers: structural racism. HCN Global, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), is launching a new webinar series as part of its ninth annual Culture of Health / la Cultura de Salud multimedia programming. This series focuses on providing community partners with the language, frameworks, and practical examples needed to recognize how societal systems shape health outcomes and to organize for lasting change.
Structural racism refers to the policies, systems, and practices embedded within society that create and maintain racial inequities. These structures continue to dictate who has access to quality healthcare, nutritious food, safe housing, and educational opportunities, disproportionately impacting Latino, Black, Indigenous, and immigrant communities. The result is measurably worse health outcomes and reduced life expectancy. Health and economic data underscore these persistent disparities. Black women and infants experience significantly higher mortality rates than their white counterparts, while Latino communities have faced higher uninsured rates and disproportionate impacts from COVID-19. Economically, white households hold substantially more wealth than Black and Latino households, a gap stemming from longstanding discriminatory policies such as redlining and unequal lending practices.
"Community partners are on the front lines witnessing how structural barriers show up in daily life—families choosing between rent and groceries, children attending underfunded schools, immigrants afraid to access healthcare," said Alison Rodden, HCN Global CEO. "This series gives them the language, frameworks, and practical examples of how to name these structures, connect them to health outcomes, and mobilize for change." The initiative builds on more than 40 years of HCN Global’s work creating culturally grounded campaigns and storytelling alongside communities of color.
The 'Building Equity: Tools for Community Leadership' webinar series consists of two parts. The first webinar, 'Seeing the Structures,' examines how inequities in housing and food systems, education and health literacy, and immigration policy impact community health and access to care. The second, 'From Knowledge to Action,' is an interactive workshop where participants map local barriers, develop messaging that connects community issues to structural causes, and create action plans for organizing, advocacy, and systems-level change. HCN Global’s research identified gaps in how community organizations understand and communicate about structural racism as a driver of health inequities. While leaders witness impacts firsthand, many lack shared language and frameworks to connect lived experiences to systemic causes.
This series addresses those gaps by providing evidence-based, culturally relevant tools and elevating community expertise. It leverages national networks including La Red Hispana, Melanin Thriving, and LatinEQUIS to expand access to trusted community partners. Dedicated webpages house resources to help leaders continue this work beyond the live sessions. For Spanish resources, visit laredhispana.org/liderazgo-para-una-cultura-de-salud/. For English-preferring Latino and Black audiences, visit melaninthriving.com/leadership-for-culture-of-health and wearelatinequis.com/leadership-for-a-culture-of-health. The webinars are free and open to all who work with communities impacted by health inequities. Community leaders, health workers, advocates, and partner organizations can register at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/A4d9Hx10RdGvjIiHg4i5NQ#/registration.
