This webinar discusses the racial impacts of COVID-19, noting historical patterns observed during pandemic-like situations and how communities are shaping a caring response to a public health crisis in place of an efficient government plan.

Panelists:

Pradnya Garud
Pradnya is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Geography, Development, and Environment at the University of Arizona and holds a courtesy research assistant position in the Department of Sociology at the University of Oregon. She received her Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in Disaster Preparedness and Response. Prior to starting the Ph.D. program, she worked as a research and advocacy associate at a human rights organization in New Delhi, India.She is an environmental justice scholar and currently serves as the co-president of Beyond Toxics. | (See Pradnya’s presentation, “Ecological Perspectives on Pandemics” – PDF)

Eric Richardson
Eric is the Executive Director of the National Association for
the Advancement of colored people Eugene/ Springfield Oregon Unit #1119: Before he was appointed as the Executive Director of the NAACP Eugene/Springfield Unit in 2019, Eric served as the president of the chapter for four years.

Dr. Eva Galvez
Dr. Galvez is a board certified family physician at Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center. She has over 15 years of experience working in federally qualified community health centers. As a bilingual and bi-cultural clinician and growing up as the daughter of a Mexican immigrants and seasonal farm workers she brings a deep understanding of the health issues affecting this community. Her particular interests are in the health disparities that affect the Latino community, exploring the root causes, and finding ways to address them, so that we can strive for a more equitable Oregon.

Joel Iboa
Joel is the Coalition Manager for CAUSA Oregon, Oregon’s immigrant rights organization. Throughout his career, he has led coalitions defending against anti-immigrant and anti-muslim policies and ballot measures. He currently serves as the chair of the Eugene Human Rights Commission, and is the youngest person to be elected chair for the Oregon Governor’s Environmental Justice Task Force.

Moderator:
Haley Case-Scott, Climate Justice Grassroots Organizer with Beyond Toxics and the NAACP Eugene/Springfield.

BIG THANKS to our Sponsors: Meyer Memorial Trust, MRG Foundation, and Ceres Trust.