Union Institute & University Celebrates Black History Month with Podcasts, a Live Webinar, and Featured News Stories

CINCINNATI, Feb. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Union Institute & University is celebrating Black History Month this February to acknowledge African American history and heritage. Former President Barack Obama said it best, "Black History Month shouldn't be treated as though it is somehow separate from our collective American history. It is about the lived, shared experience of all African Americans, high and low, famous and obscure, and how those experiences have shaped and challenged and ultimately strengthened America. It is about taking an unvarnished look at the past so we can create a better future. It's a reminder of where we as a country have been so that we know where we need to go."

Union has been highlighting the many achievements of our faculty, students, and alumni throughout the month through a variety of channels.

A panel discussion on the current political environment will be held on February 23 at 11 a.m. EST with Union's president, Dr. Karen Schuster Webb, as a co-moderator. 'African Americans in Politics: Establishing a Seat at the Table' features several Union alumni: U. S. Congressman Danny K. Davis, 7^th Congressional District of Illinois; Ohio State Senator Cecil Thomas, 9^th Ohio Senate District; and Dr. Vanessa Enoch, President & CEO of Cultural Impact, LLC., political and social justice advocate. Joining them will be Mayor Darren E. Bryant, the youngest Black mayor in Illinois state history. This panel discussion is free and open to the public.

In keeping with the 2022 Black History Month theme of 'Black Health and Wellness', alumna Renee Mahaffey Harris shared her work to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities through advocacy, education, and community outreach. Ms. Harris is the president and CEO of the Center for Closing the Health Gap in greater Cincinnati and was featured in a Nexus article. 

The Channel U podcast will also feature two episodes on the Black Health and Wellness theme. Public health expert and Union affiliate faculty member, Dr. Muswamba Mwamba, will define the social meaning of health, explain how a zip code predicts health outcomes, and discuss the effect of food deserts on people of color. In addition, he will compare nutrition and diets of Black Americans versus people of color in Africa and Europe.

The second podcast features Dr. Kimarie Bugg who is also a Union faculty member and an internationally known lactation expert. Dr. Bugg has spent nearly four decades working in the Atlanta Metropolitan area and nationally in mostly African American communities promoting perinatal health, breastfeeding, and community-based impact solutions.

Dr. Bugg will focus on maternal and infant health and the inequities that have plagued Black communities throughout history. She will also share best practices to provide global health equity through action-oriented projects. The podcasts with Dr. Mwamba and Dr. Bugg will be hosted by Dr. Lisa Akers, the program chair for several bachelor and master's programs at Union Institute & University.

In another podcast, Ph.D. student Pastor Devin E. West engages in an interesting conversation on ways to bridge the gap of racial divide that continues to hinder and hurt churches, especially African American congregations. His conversation with guest Dacari J. Middlebrooks in Getting to Know the Millennial and Gen Z in the Church and What They Want, is engaging and informative.  

Finally, affiliated faculty member Debby Flickinger, Ph.D. will share her insights on what Black History Month means to her in a Nexus feature.

To learn more about these and future events, visit What's Happening. 

About Union Institute & University
Founded in 1964, Union Institute & University has been a pioneer in educating adults through distance learning. Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, Union Institute & University offers undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs and certificates designed for adults seeking to make a difference in their own lives and within their communities. The university offers specialized online and low residency degree programs with high-touch faculty attention, designed for students regardless of where they live and work. Union's flexible delivery models emphasizes relevant and transformative coursework taught by a national faculty of scholar-practitioners. Union graduates, including two dozen college presidents, leaders in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, members of the United States Congress, and the first female prime minister of Jamaica, promote Union's legacy of utilizing education to transform lives and communities.

To learn more about Union Institute & University, visit www.myunion.edu or call 1-800-861-6400. 

SOURCE Union Institute & University