Democracy and Public Health: Experiences in New York City

Humanities New York presents a public humanities event exploring the human and political dimensions of public health. The Covid-19 pandemic laid bare the cracks in our social contract, both locally and nationally, yet it also renewed interest in civic engagement and rearticulated our common purpose. An examination of the diverse ordeals of New Yorkers prompts questions about the relationship between local health infrastructures, the American federal system, and our democratic society. HNY, in partnership with the CUNY Graduate Center, presents a conversation with Merlin Chowkwanyun and Celina Su. This discussion will focus on the history of public health policies in New York City, the divergent experiences among different demographics within distinct neighborhoods during the pandemic, and how public health crises can both trouble and renew democratic society.

About the Speakers

Merlin Chowkwanyun is the Donald Gemson Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University. He is the author of All Health Politics is Local: Community Battles for Medical Care and Environmental Health and is now working on a book, Who Dies?, to be published by W.W. Norton, which re-assesses how to think about the non-biomedical determinants of health. He is also the Principal Investigator on ToxicDocs.org, an NSF-funded repository that uses novel data science methods to make available millions of once-secret documents on industrial poisons. He currently serves on an Expert Advisory Committee for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on structural racism.

Celina Su is the Marilyn J. Gittell Chair in Urban Studies and a Professor of Political Science at the City University of New York. Her work focuses on everyday struggles for collective governance; her current book project centering radical democracy, Budget Justice: Racial Solidarities & Politics From Below, is forthcoming from Princeton University Press. Celina has served on New York City's participatory budgeting Steering Committee since its inception in 2011. Her publications include Streetwise for Book Smarts: Grassroots Organizing and Education Reform in the Bronx (Cornell University Press) and pieces in the New York Times Magazine, Harper’s, n+1, and elsewhere.

Building Entrance Policy and COVID-19 Info and Safety Guidance

Face masks and full vaccination are not required but strongly encouraged. Weekday visitors to the Graduate Center’s 365 Fifth Avenue campus no longer have to show proof of vaccination or negative PCR tests at the lobby desk. They just need to show a government-issued picture ID and sign in at the security desk. To enter the Graduate Center, CUNY students, faculty, and staff are required to provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination through the Cleared4 platform. For more information, please see Building Entry Policy, and the COVID-19 Info and Safety Guidance page for the CUNY Graduate Center.

About the series

This event launches a series of public discussions around the city, to be held in neighborhoods where the local community’s relationship with public health practitioners and elected officials may be very different - close or distant to power, in agreement or conflict. Any non-profit organization in New York City that identifies a facilitator is eligible to apply to host one of these conversations, which include a toolkit and grant funding. Applications will be available on our website on April 1st.

This event and the following Community Conversations are made possible by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Humanities New York is grateful for the support of the Center for the Humanities at the CUNY Graduate Center.

About Humanities New York

Using dialogue, reflection, and critical thinking, Humanities New York applies the humanities to strengthen democratic society. Founded in 1975, Humanities New York is the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities and is the sole statewide proponent of public access to the humanities. HNY is a private 501(c)3, tax-exempt organization.

About the Center for the Humanities at the CUNY Graduate Center

The Center for the Humanities encourages collaborative and creative work in the humanities at CUNY and across the city through interdisciplinary projects, publications, and public events. Free and open to the public, our programs aim to inspire sustained, engaged conversation and to forge an open and diverse intellectual community.