STCC Virtual Event on Nov. 11 to Explore Health, Wealth, and Race

SPRINGFIELD — Why does COVID-19 have a particularly devastating impact on black communities? How does your neighborhood impact your health? How does racism impact health outcomes?

These are some of the questions a Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) professor will raise during a live webinar on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. Titled “Health, Wealth, and Race,” the event will feature a presentation by Dr. Raja Staggers, assistant professor in Social & Behavioral Sciences at STCC.

Members of the STCC community, as well as the general public, are invited to attend this free Zoom webinar. Visit stcc.io/staggers to register.

Staggers will explore race-based disparities in health outcomes with a focus on the disproportionate burden of COVID-19. In addition, she will consider the impact of a community’s environment and systemic racism on health, and will offer recommendations to address health inequities.

Staggers is a public-health sociologist and social researcher in the areas of health inequities and race and racism. She received a doctorate in medical sociology and social inequality from Howard University and a master of public health degree in community health education from New York University. She has facilitated national conversations on discrimination and the impact on health and has led trainings on anti-racism, cultural competency, and health equity.