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As the daughter and granddaughter of immigrants from Haiti, I have a deep respect for the rich traditions of the generations that preceded me. My family’s elder women – especially my late maternal grandmother and my mother – have been great matriarchs and their lessons are too important to forget.

On April 24, I was honored to represent our nation’s older women in a roundtable discussion hosted by the White House Council on Women and Girls.

I was working the evening shift at a Crisis Unit in a Community Mental Health Center in California. A young adult female was brought in by her family. She was severely ill with psychosis and was nine months pregnant – and her Chinese-speaking parents had no awareness of either condition.

Fannie Lou Hamer – voting rights activist, civil rights leader, and humanitarian, captured the nation’s attention during the 1964 Democratic National Convention, when she described the injustices she and others in her community had endured in their fight for the right to vote.

I was working the evening shift at a Crisis Unit in a Community Mental Health Center in California. A young adult female was brought in by her family.

This year, as the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) recognizes its 5th anniversary, we reflect on the evolution of the Institute’s role in public health achievements and the future improvements in minority health and health disparities.

National Minority Health Month is a time to raise awareness about health care inequities that impact the daily lives of millions of African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Hispanic families and individuals.

The epidemic of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection impacts over 3 million individuals in the United States, and over 50% of infected people are undiagnosed. In an effort to increase the number of people who are aware of their HCV infection and link them to care, in 2012 the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that all persons born from 1945 through 1965 be tested for HCV, given that this group currently accounts for more than 75% of adults infected with hepatitis C in the U.S. and are five times more likely to be infected than other adults. Subsequently, in 2013, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force also recommended a one-time HCV screening for adults born between 1945 and 1965.

During April, the Office of Minority Health marks National Minority Health Month. Despite our nation’s progress toward ending health disparities, racial and ethnic minorities still lag behind the U.S. population as a whole on many health fronts.

At the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), essential to our mission in public health protection is to determine if medical products, such as medications and devices, are safe and effective for the patients likely to need them.

On the 30th anniversary of the Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Black and Minority Health (also known as the Heckler Report), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recognizes the far-reaching impact of this landmark publication.

Calling all budding chefs! Do you like to cook and make healthy food for your friends and family? If so, you might be able to show off your skills and creativity to the First Lady of the United States and your peers from across the country.

At a commemorative event two years ago, I heard a historian say that history is not a steady stream of events, but rather a series of punctuation points, like ripples from stones tossed into water.

Half a century ago, our nation was in the midst of a Civil Rights revolution. Over these last few years, we’ve reached several milestones: the 50 th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, Dr. King’s transformative “I Have a Dream” speech, and the historic march from Selma to Montgomery.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to recognize that we all can play an important role in making meaningful connections with children and families in our communities.