The Equity Matters Podcast

In the Margins is a podcast that explores stories the way they’re meant to be explored. Part of the Stop Silencing Black Stories project, each episode will move beyond summary and intro analysis. What is this story really trying to show us? In this episode, Back Down Memory Lane, we revisit Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings to explore trauma, memory, and the power of lived experience....

In the Margins is a podcast that explores stories the way they’re meant to be explored. Part of the Stop Silencing Black Stories project, each episode will move beyond summary and intro analysis. What is this story really trying to show us? Listen & Subscribe to Equity Matters Podcast: Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and YouTube   Sign Our Petition to Stop the Silencing of Our Black Stories Follow...

A day in the life of a public health professional, podcaster, and human being. Roll with me to Richmond, VA to celebrate my brother achieving a significant academic milestone.

A day in the life of a public health professional, podcaster, and human being. Roll with me to Gaylord Michigan for the 2026 Michigan Suicide Prevention Community Technical Assistance Conference.

“Social work isn’t a profession.” “ Public health isn’t a real field.” “Your degree doesn’t matter.”   Every time society dismisses a field, it affects funding, pay, and the people doing the hardest work: social workers, public health professionals, educators, and caregivers who sustain our communities. In this episode of Equity Matters, Dr. James Bell III explores the history and politics of prof...

“Social work isn’t a profession.” “Public health isn’t a real field.” “Your degree doesn’t matter.” These statements might sound like casual opinions, but they reveal something deeper about how society decides which professions deserve respect, funding, and power. In this preview of the upcoming Equity Matters episode “Respeck on My Name (Work To Do)”, Dr. James Bell III explores the history and p...

Somebody said n****. Someone has a neurological disorder. Who is to blame? Can you hold two truths at once? Listen & Subscribe to Equity Matters Podcast: Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and YouTube Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook Follow us on TikTok Check out our Free Resources on Gumroad Visit Dr. Bell’s Website

Dr. Bell has something to say. Listen & Subscribe to Equity Matters Podcast: Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and YouTube   Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook Follow us on TikTok Check out our Free Resources on Gumroad Visit Dr. Bell’s Website

What happens when silence becomes a survival skill and survival becomes a sickness? In this episode of Equity Matters, we examine the crisis of Black men’s health in America, where strength is too often defined by endurance and silence. From heart disease and diabetes to colorectal cancer, Black men face some of the highest rates of preventable illness yet many avoid care altogether, shaped by fea...

Strength shouldn’t mean silence. Yet for too many Black men, staying quiet has become a matter of survival. The Sound of Silence (Boy’s Don’t Cry) explores what happens when care is delayed, pain is ignored, and the system treats endurance as enough. It’s time to talk about what silence is really costing us. Listen Friday. Subscribe so you don’t miss it.

What happens when a nation built on the promise to “promote the general welfare” decides who’s actually worthy of that welfare? In this episode of Equity Matters, we trace the racialized roots of America’s social safety net — from Mothers’ Pensions that rewarded white respectability to New Deal policies that excluded Black labor and follow how those early moral judgments still echo in today’s deba...

We were promised a nation that would “promote the general welfare.” But whose welfare did they mean? In Hunger Games (We the People), we trace how America built a safety net with holes big enough for entire communities to fall through and how myths about “deserving” and “undeserving” still shape who gets to eat, rest, and heal. This isn’t just about policy. It’s about power and the stories we’ve b...

What does it mean to disappear in plain sight? In this episode of Equity Matters, we go inside Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz, a detention facility hidden deep in the Everglades and examine how isolation, bureaucracy, and profit intersect to erase human lives. We explore the systems that justify confinement, the historical patterns they echo, and the human cost of making suffering invisible. This ep...

New episode of Equity Matters drops tomorrow. What does it mean to disappear in plain sight? In Ain’t No Sunshine, we go inside Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz and explore how isolation, bureaucracy, and profit erase human lives. Listen Friday to hear the full story and the questions it asks about accountability, equity, and humanity. Subscribe now so you don't miss it! 

What does it mean to live under siege in your own city? In this episode of Equity Matters, we examine the militarization of American communities and how public safety has too often meant control rather than protection. We explore the consequences of living under constant threat, from mental and physical health impacts to fractured trust in institutions, and ask what real security could look like i...

What do we lose when misinformation spreads faster than the truth? In this episode of Equity Matters, we confront the rise of misinformation, why it spreads, how it takes root, and the dangers it poses to public trust. From historical betrayals like Tuskegee and forced sterilizations to today’s viral claims linking Tylenol and autism, we trace how mistrust is both inherited and exploited. We break...

What does free speech really mean when power and platforms are controlled by so few and how do we speak truth to power responsibly? In this episode of Equity Matters, we explore the state of free speech in America, not as an abstract right, but as a fragile and contested space under pressure. We trace the long shadow of censorship and intimidation, from dictatorships and McCarthy-era blacklists to...

What does it mean when a violence we were told belonged to the past keeps reappearing in plain sight? In this episode of Equity Matters, we confront the ongoing reality of lynching in America, not as distant history, but as violence still happening in plain sight. We trace the long shadow of racial terror, from its public spectacle in the past to its quieter denials in the present. Along the way,...

When most people hear the word lynching, they think of a distant past. But the truth is, lynching never really ended — it evolved, adapted, and still happens in America today. In this teaser for the next episode of Equity Matters, Dr. James Bell III confronts the spectacle, the silence, and the terrifying continuity of racial terror that remains in plain sight. Full episode available this Wednesda...

What happens when the nation decides which fathers, mothers, and children are worth mourning? In this episode of Equity Matters, we examine how assassinations, shootings, and state-sanctioned violence are remembered and reported differently depending on who is targeted. We explore how narratives of “innocence,” “radicalism,” and “family” shape national empathy and reveal deep inequities in whose g...

Political violence is not new, but not all violence is treated the same. In this episode of Equity Matters, we explore how acts of political violence are remembered, mourned, and reported differently depending on who is targeted. Join me as we uncover how history, media, and power combine to dictate whose lives, and whose losses, truly matter. Listen & Subscribe to Equity Matters Podcast: Appl...

Public health, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are under attack—but what does that mean for practitioners on the front lines? In this episode of Equity Matters, we break down the coordinated efforts to dismantle public health infrastructure and DEI initiatives, the impact on communities, and the critical role of public health leaders in navigating this uncertainty. How do we stay focused? H...

Dr. James Bell III reflects on the 2024 election results and their implications for public health in America. In this episode of 'Equity Matters,' we examine how recent political shifts could shape policies impacting healthcare access, community well-being, and social equity. Join us as we unpack the potential challenges and opportunities for the public health field, exploring what these outcomes...

On today’s episode, we explore the complex and often misunderstood topic of microaggressions in the workplace. Learn how these interactions reinforce stereotypes and contribute to systemic inequalities, while offering practical advice on how we can all be more mindful in our daily lives.   Listen & Subscribe to Equity Matters Podcast: Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and YouTube   Follow us on Insta...

What are microaggressions, and how do they shape the everyday experiences of those on the receiving end? In this short preview of our upcoming episode, we offer a glimpse into the subtle, often unintentional remarks or actions that can reinforce harmful stereotypes and perpetuate inequality. Tune in for a quick dive into how these interactions affect people and why understanding them is the first...