Linda Villarosa (right) with event organizer Sharifa Hampton

As part of Black History Month at CSI, award-winning journalist and CUNY professor Linda Villarosa spoke to the campus about creating “The 1619 Project” for The New York Times.

Drawing on her embedded investigative reporting, Villarosa revealed specific ways that Black maternal and infant mortality in the U.S. today is part of the enduring legacy of slavery. She also provided the CSI community with a new understanding of the ways that racist myths about Black bodies linger in today’s healthcare system and how Black women are resisting, organizing, educating, and taking control of their health and the health of their families.

By Matt Brim