Welcome

to the 13th annual Northern California Black Physicians Forum.

It is with great honor and appreciation that Sac Cultural Hub welcomes to you to the 13th Annual Black Physicians Forum. As we begin the discussion on “The Impact of Hate Motivated Behavior on African American Health,” I want to first acknowledge the immense dedication and resilience each and every one of you bring to the medical field as black healthcare professionals. Your expertise and compassionate care have undoubtedly improved countless lives, making a profound impact on the health and wellbeing of communities.

Studies show that in places where there are more black doctors, life expectancy for Black Americans is longer even if they are not seeing those black doctors. In fact, just having one black doctor in a county showed improvements in the health of African Americans. Your influence in the medical system raises diagnostic accuracy, greater utilization of treatment options, and accountability. It also creates a medical environment where African Americans are more likely to seek care, be compliant with care and live longer, healthier lives. Without you the disparities in life expectancy between black and white Americans would expand. We are grateful that you stand in the gap helping to improve the lives of Americans. The impact of hate on African American health is now acknowledged and becoming better understood. This alone is a major win. Research has shown what communities of color have experienced for years. Living in environments with racial bias, micro aggressions, and overt acts of discrimination leads to chronic stress, anxiety, depression, poor health, and premature death for many. The impact of acts of hate extend far beyond the initial hurt from insults, bullying, and violence. There are community wide repercussions such as loss of generational knowledge and support and decreased productivity, economic mobility, and quality of life.

Together, we must strive to dismantle the structures of hate and inequality that persist in our society. We must equip individuals and communities with the tools and resources to combat hate and thrive despite its influence. By fostering physical and mental health in our communities, acceptance of diversity, promoting cultural competency, and supporting initiatives that provide economic and political education, we can pave the way for a more just society.

Together, we are a powerful network of Black healthcare professionals, working towards a shared vision of health equity. Our voices matter, and our experiences have the power to shape a more inclusive and equitable future.

Be Well,

Valarie

Pleshette Robertson

CEO & Founder - Sac Cultural Hub

Chief Editor of THE HUB Magazine President - Sac Cultural Hub Media Foundation

Twlia Laster Strategic Marketing Director, Sac Cultural Hub Media Foundation Owner, Travel with Twlia & Twlia Makes It Happen! Consulting

Valarie Scruggs Program Development Manager Sac Cultural Hub Media Foundation Owner - VisionStep

Pleshette Robertson is the CEO and Founder of Sacculturalhub.com and the Chief Editor of THE HUB Magazine. The website (launched in March 2002) and magazine (published in February 2006) are leading sources of Black urban media that celebrate the urban lifestyle of African-Americans in the capital region and throughout California serving as the information hub for black-oriented movies, concerts, theatrical performances, art exhibitions, sporting events, festivals and black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs.

She is also the owner of PR & Associates Business Resources Resources (AKA Sacculturalhub.com Media Company) which is an advertisement and public promotions agency specializing in providing multi-media advertising, social media marketing campaigns, e-blast ad/website production and consultation to new business and startup organizations.

She also serves as the Executive Director for the Sac Cultural Hub Media Foundation that educates, empowers, and train young adults and women of color in underserved communities. Several programs under the Sac Cultural Hub Media Foundation include: Exceptional Women of Color Conference; Hub Choice Awards Show; Black Physicians Forum (BPF); BPF Medical Student Scholarship Program; Young Exceptional Women of Color (Y-EWOC) Scholarship Competition, and the Young/Youth Women’s Summit (YWS). For 3 years, Pleshette served as a Covered California Enrollment Counselor and Outreach Educator.

Twlia Laster is the owner of Travel with Twlia and Twlia Makes It Happen! Consulting Services. Ms. Laster has 20 years of experience in providing consulting services to clients in need of strategic marketing, program development, public relations, event management, health education, and smoking cessation facilitation. For the past 14 years Ms. Laster has served as the Strategic Marketing and Project Director for Sac Cultural Hub Media Company directly engaged in increasing overall company revenue by revamping the marketing model, developing programs, solidifying corporate and community partnerships. Additionally, Ms. Laster is the Project Director of Saving Our Legacy, African Americans for Smoke Free Safe Places – The SOL Project, and serves on several public health advisory committees throughout Northern California.

Valarie Scruggs is a compassionate healthcare professional who believes that everyone deserves access to education, resources, and opportunities to create their best life. She is a resident of Sacramento, and has extensive experience working with nonprofits, health centers, and county and state governments. Her areas of expertise include program planning, grant management, marketing, and implementing effective public health campaigns to reduce health disparities.

Valarie’s work in tobacco prevention began early in her career, completing retail surveys. Since then, she has engaged with campaigns and coalitions to support tobacco cessation and prevent tobacco addiction and premature loss of life. From 2013-2016, she served as the Saving Our Legacy, African Americans for Smoke Free Safe Places (The SOL Project) Community Advocate Consultant. In this role, she established a collaborative focused on addressing social determinants of health to improve health outcomes for African Americans related to heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The collaborative work resulted in the development and implementation of The SOL Project “Strategies to Improve Health Equity Where African Americans Live, Work, Learn, Worship & Play Community Action Plan.”

Valarie is known for her communication and partnership building skills. She has conducted presentations, community engagement initiatives, marketing, and technical assistance in Sacramento and San Joaquin counties. Her passion for helping people and improving their health appears in all the work she has done and continues to do with the SOL Project.

Lesley Leatherwood is the CEO of Leatherwood Marketing, and specializes in national internet marketing and print advertising. She possesses over 20 years of corporate experience, including inside and outside sales, hospitality, public relations, media buying, production assistant in television and four feature films. She is an expert with consulting on promoting, advertising, telemarketing products, events and photography. Lesley is originally from Cardiff Wales, England. Lesley has been with Sac Cultural Hub Media Company since 2008 and serves as the Community Advertising Manager.

Working to promote the healthy lifestyles of African American and urban communities in Northern California, Sac Cultural Hub Media Foundation (SCHMF) was created in 2003 to develop programs which mentor young adults, women, and underserved communities. The Foundation has implemented programs in partnership with corporations, businesses and individuals to promote higher education, provide entrepreneurship opportunities, further diversity partnerships, and improve and encourage collaborative efforts through exceptional signature events that include:

• Exceptional Women of Color Awards & Expo

• Hub Choice Awards (HCA) Show

• Black Physicians Forum (BPF)

• BPF Medical Student Scholarship Program

• Young Women’s Exceptional Women of Color (Y-EWOC) Scholarship Competition

• First Friday Business Initiative

• Black History Month Luncheon

• Sacramento Community Book Forum

The mission of the Sac Cultural Hub Media Foundation is to provide exciting non-traditional vehicles of engagement where businesses and non-profit organizations can market services and products and mentor and provide public service information to educate and inspire the urban community. Our primary goal is to motivate and empower African American professionals, communities of color, and youth to thrive and succeed in life.

The Sac Cultural Hub Media Foundation utilizes the Sacculturalhub.com Media Company to connect with the African American and Urban communities of Northern California. Sacculturalhub.com is known as the #1 grassroots multi-media organization in Northern California and is the most popular resource for networking of businesses, non-profit organizations, community resources, entertainment, and individuals.

Pleshette Robertson, the CEO and Founder of Sacculturalhub. com launched the website in March 2002. The website provides an internet platform for news, multicultural events, career profiles, professional business services, community resources, educational opportunities, corporate advertising, and photo gallery of Northern California residents, visitors, and celebrities. The website currently receives over 2 million national hits each month with over 20,000 unique visitors each month.

In February 2006, Ms. Robertson implemented a signature publication to complement the website. THE HUB: Urban Entertainment & Lifestyle Magazine which caters to affluent urban professionals, working class families and the underserved African American and urban communities. Its mission is to highlight individuals for their community contributions which increases enthusiasm in the community and help others to celebrate what Northern California has to offer.