40th Annual Minority Health Conference Advocacy for Change

Friday, February 22, 2019
William and Ida Friday Center, Chapel Hill

(Stay tuned for more information about registration and timeline of events)

Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Minority Health Conference:
Advocacy for Change

The UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health’s Minority Health Conference, the largest and longest-running student-led health conference in the country, aims to raise awareness around minority health and mobilize students, academics, and community members to take action for change. Established in 1977 by the Minority Student Caucus, the conference is nationally recognized and respected, attracting more than 600 attendees each year and hundreds more who view it via webcast.

We are excited to announce that this year’s theme is Advocacy for Change: Celebrating Past Successes and Planning for the Future.

What connects civil rights gains, women’s suffrage, marriage equality and the rise of progressive candidates? The answer is timing and advocacy – persistent advocates taking on the opposition and strategically responding to the greatest challenges of our time.

Advocacy is an integral aspect of social change. This year’s conference theme celebrates how advocacy efforts are instrumental in advancing the health of minorities and people of color. The theme honors activist history and provides a forum through which communities can engage with advocacy efforts moving forward.

Public health is the connecting thread in these movements for social change. We make an impact by showing that well-being is indicative of social determinants related to gender, race and ethnicity, wealth and class

At the Gillings School of Global Public Health, we lead from the inside out. Forty years ago, the Minority Health Conference began as the result of advocacy. The Minority Student Caucus sought to highlight the health issues of all people of color. They organized their ideas, outlined their intentions, and described the changes they wanted to see in the world.

Nearly every year since 1977, we have convened thousands of community members, professionals and students to explore a diverse range of topics that have an impact on minority health. Together, we connect multidisciplinary champions working at the local, regional, national and global levels – and inform communities everywhere.

Today’s political landscape presents the opportunity – and indeed, the demand – for strategic and expert dialogue about the needs of minority communities. This anniversary gathering will center around advocacy and movement building. The conference will provide attendees with information, skills and tools that can empower them to become advocates for causes that they are passionate about.

We look forward to seeing you at the conference on Friday, February 22, 2019, at the William and Ida Friday Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina!