Collaborative for
RE: Opposition To Blue Zones - Activate Greater South Phoenix Initiative
Dear Community,
We, the Collaborative for Black & Indigenous Land Restoration and Reparations (CBILRR), would like to express our concern about an initiative that is gaining considerable attention in our community. This is a response to three meetings with the executive team of Equality Health Foundation following the Blue Zones public event in March of 2022. Equality Health Foundation is the organization that contracted Blue Zones to do an assessment of the Greater South Phoenix area as part of a 3-phase rollout with the intention to improve the health of our community. While projects like these are usually well intentioned, they frequently lack community roots.
Until the 1970’s, people of color were segregated to South Phoenix. Like many segregated communities, S. Phoenix is greatly impacted by above average rates of serious health conditions, incarceration, and poverty when compared to neighboring communities. S. Phoenix residents live on average thirteen years less and have higher infant and maternal death rates. These health disparities are a result of systemic racism that needs to be recognized and repaired in order to build a healthy community.
After meetings with Equality Health Foundation, the organization that contracted Blue Zones, we have concluded the following:
- The project has a white savior complex; A privileged organization with access to resources intending to “rescue” a community of color.
- Equality Health Foundation offered a single seat to represent the interest of the community. We felt this would not give an adequate voice to meaningfully impact decision making.
- The people with the decision making power are not community members, but insurance companies and healthcare organizations that helped fund the project.
- Their community engagement is extractive and harmful. It does not take into account the history and impact of systemic oppression on the health of our community.
- Projects like these often overshadow and push out cultural solutions that are already in place.
- Equality Health Foundation has already raised $1.5 million and expects to raise more than $27 million. These are funds that could be going to community organizations that are oftentimes underfunded and are already doing this work.
The Collaborative for Black & Indigenous Land Restoration and Reparations, is choosing to push against this project that does not share the decision making power with the community it intends to help. We call on directly impacted community members and organizations to join us in our refusal to participate in the Blue Zones Activate Greater South Phoenix Initiative. We will not engage with Equality Health Foundation or any of its white savior projects until decision making power is in equal partnership with the community.
If you would like to be a part of the call, please fill out this brief survey to share your thoughts on this project. You can also contact us at cbilrr@cihuapactlicollective.org.
In the best interest of our South Phoenix Community,
The Collaborative for Black & Indigenous Land Restoration and Reparations:
Community Organizations:
