Arts for Health Equity and Social Justice

About This Series

Art has always been a reflection of and response to the world around us. It’s also a way of envisioning what is possible and what is just.

We have seen art-making on the front lines of the current uprising, with people around the world using art to call out racism, end police brutality and fight social injustice.

As a lab focused on the intersection of the arts with health and wellbeing, we have been moved and stirred to action by the art created in response to long-standing injustices faced by Black communities. We cannot achieve our mission to amplify human potential unless we are part of the change to build an equitable and just world for all.

The series will examine the role of the arts in social change. We will hear from Black writers, artists, scholars, scientists and other experts in the BIPOC community and spotlight leaders who incorporate the arts as a tool for healing, resistance and justice.

Please join us as we Look & Listen—engaging with the art emerging in this historical moment—so that we can Learn and then take meaningful Action in the social justice movement.

Image: DC renames part of 16th Street Black Lives Matter Way. Credit: Toni Sandys / The Washington Post via Getty Images

#VibrateHigher

Catch performances from the Racial Justice Concert Series, a collaboration among Johns Hopkins students, faculty and staff launched in 2021. From hip-hop to classical, this free virtual concert series harnesses the power of music to support racial justice in Baltimore.

Play Video

Look & Listen

Join us in honoring and engaging with the art emerging in this historical moment. 

Learn

What is the role of art in its many forms in advancing equity and social change?
We turn to our partners and field experts to share their insights.

Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD

"Reimagining Place: Identity, Healing and Justice" with Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson

In this episode of the ANA-JHU Social Justice Summer Series, Dr. Jackson shares her vision for integrating arts and culture into placemaking as a way to reckon with racial trauma and restore dignity to the oppressed.

All Stories Will Matter

Public health professional David Fakunle, PhD shares the power of storytelling in the pursuit of health equity.

The Role of Arts and Culture in Public Health

This 2019 paper names racism as a critical public health issue and discusses the importance of arts and culture in creating equitable, healthy communities.

How to Talk About Race

The National Museum of African American History & Culture provides tools and guidance on how to talk about race and why it matters.​

"Creating and Implementing a More Inclusive Museum Vision" with Christopher Bedford of the Baltimore Museum of Art

In this episode of the ANA-JHU Social Justice Summer Series, director Christopher Bedford shares the importance of equity and diversity in every aspect of the BMA, from the artwork on display to the talent behind the scenes.

Act

Discover the organizations, programs and individuals taking action through art, plus ways you can deepen your civic engagement using the arts.

“This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

Toni Morrison, author