As health publishers, it’s our responsibility not just to acknowledge racism and anti-blackness as deadly, systemic problems and long-standing barriers to health and well-being, but to do something about it. Silence is not an option. Sharing platitudes during times of unrest and then going back to business as usual is not an option. It’s our responsibility to be a part of this conversation even when it’s not making headlines. We have not done that. Our own silence ends today.
Black Lives Matter. Black Health Matters.
At Healthline, our mission has always been to make the world a stronger and healthier place for everybody. If I’m honest, we can do more — a lot more — to address racial disparities and amplify Black voices and perspectives within health and wellness. We have more work to do and we’re committed to doing better, both by our readers and by our employees.
As we move forward, we’ll dedicate more space to Black voices, and we’ll work to incorporate an anti-racist framework into our content strategy as a whole. Not just today and not just this week, but for the long term.
I’m signing this letter as Editor-in-Chief because it’s my job to be accountable to these words. But as a white person in a leadership position, it’s also important to acknowledge the work of the Black and POC Healthliners who have created the space for us to have conversations about race and inequality, and those who gave their time and insights, on top of their day-to-day jobs, in consulting on this statement.
Erin Petersen, Editor-in-Chief