--By Yvonne Goldsberry, Ph.D., EH President

“I can imagine a future where all people in our state and our nation are happy, healthy, and thriving -- a future where healthy aging is easy, and every child has what they need to grow to be their best self. A future where differences among our people are welcomed and celebrated. A future where geography and circumstance do not define our well-being.”

These are my words which currently rest in boxes of undistributed annual reports. We had planned on giving them out at our March annual meeting. Cancelled. That was at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. It was before COVID overwhelmed Black and Brown communities across the nation. And it was before the mass protests and anguished calls that Black Lives Matter. It was before this urgent moment.

Our collective outrage and call for immediate change are warranted and necessary. We need everyone’s bold action because beyond individual acts of hate against Black and Brown people, we live and work in systems designed to benefit only some. Those skewed systems block Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color from realizing economic opportunity, fair housing, health equity, education parity, and unbiased law enforcement. Removing those barriers is the real work it takes to get to my imagined future. It started well before and goes well beyond the current moment. It will most certainly take sustained commitment for the long haul.

To those who are newly awakened to the work of racial justice, I offer both a welcome and a caution. You are welcomed as partners on this journey against the most insidious, long-standing public health issue in our history: Systemic Racism. But here is the caution: systemic change takes time and resiliency over the long haul. Racism will not be eradicated in a month, a year, or perhaps even a generation.

I share my family history as an illustration of our long journey. In the mid 1700’s my 4th great-grandfather John Moore, became a mariner sailing on boats between Boston and Nova Scotia. As a “free” black man, he chose this dangerous profession because he could make the same wages as the white mariners. It was his way of earning enough income to later, in the “pursuit of happiness”, open a barbershop in Boston. He was resilient and proud.

In the mid-1800’s, as a small business owner in Worcester, Massachusetts, John’s grandson, William Brown, bought a home with the same pursuit of happiness and resiliency. He also shielded runaway slaves as part of the underground railroad while his wife, Martha, worked tirelessly on integrating Worcester public schools. William’s great grandson, John Goldsberry, spent his career working to improve access to health care for the most vulnerable people of Worcester County. My father found happiness taking his children swimming, hiking, and skiing in the lakes, woods, and mountains of the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire.

They were proud Americans who believed that “all men are created equal.” Yet their efforts to better the lives of our family and the lives of others only got so far. The racial injustice that they sought to overcome would persist for generations to come.

Now it is my turn to fight for today and imagine a better future. For me, the work of generations is in leading New Hampshire’s largest health foundation and working to ensure that whoever comes next can truly enjoy good health and realized potential – for all. Like you, I hunger for tangible and immediate results. But to do this work, we cannot simply ride the wave of urgency, then fall back into silence. We might not win every fight, but we can stand with resiliency and pride, knowing that we all rest on the shoulders of those who came before. I know that in this time, my contribution – and yours—will bring us a few steps closer. And thankfully, the steps of many can cover a lot of distance for the long haul.

Right now, in this perfect storm of flashpoints – a pandemic and protests – our journey feels uncomfortable and disruptive. But with disruption comes innovation and new beginnings. There are some interesting innovations coming from this moment. In this issue, you will read about several of these in the words of our community partners. They are truly taking bold steps closer to a better future.

Seven generations from now, we want our yet unborn family and friends to look back and see that this urgent moment was important because we nourished the seeds of understanding and justice. We want them to be happy, healthy, thriving - to feel our imprint and walk on this foundation as they continue the journey.

We must be bold in these urgent moments and we must be bold for the long haul.

Watch: Stepping Stones to a Movement with Dr. Yvonne Goldsberry