Activism
Local Students Win Gold Medals, Scholarships in NAACP Competition

Two local high school students won gold medals and scholarships in the NAACP ACTSO competition, and will now represent Richmond in a national competition set to be held virtually this month due to COVID-19.
Charles Woodfork, 17, a junior at Salesian High School, and Joi Gonzalez, 16, a junior at Pinole Valley High School, were victorious in the competition held for the first time by the Richmond-Bay Area NAACP Youth Council.
ACTSO, an acronym for African American Cultural Technical and Science Olympics, is an academic competition that has been sponsored by the national NAACP for the past 40 years.
African American high school students from throughout the U.S. compete annually in up to three of 32 areas of competition, including Science, Humanities, Performing Arts, Entrepreneurship, Visual Arts and Culinary Arts.
Woodfork competed both in the “Original Essay” and the “Medical and Health” competitions. His original essay deals with the disparity in the application of “justice” in the majority and diverse communities and his science project addresses the issue of over-medicating children, particularly children of color, and the frequent misdiagnoses of Attention Deficit Disorder.
Gonzalez competed in the “Earth and Space” category. Her research paper demonstrates in meticulous detail the disparity in the water quality used in five distinctly diverse communities in the Bay Area.
The 2020 ACTSO Richmond competition is chaired by attorney Audrey D. Shields and co-chaired by Tajii M. Thomas, a recent Howard University graduate and current secretary of the Richmond Youth Council. ACT-SO committee chairs are Scottie Smith, judge and mentor coordinator; Cheryl Maier, Finance; Zelon Harrison, Student Recruitment; and Y’Anad Burrell, Publicity and Social Media.
Scholarships were made possible with generous contributions from the Ermestine Martin Charitable Foundation and the Carl Adams Family Foundation.
This year’s ACTSO coaches were Audrey Comeaux, Science; Michael Gonzalez, Humanities; Wesley Alexander, Entrepreneurship; and Choncey Nunn, Performing Arts.
Volunteer judges included Doris Lewis, Sonya Neely-Johnson, Noah Johnson, Annette Henry-Evans, Stephanie Phillips, Elizabeth Block, Marsha Williams, Dr. Cardenas Shackelford, LaShante Smith and William McGee.
Contra Costa Board of Education member Dr. Fatima S. Alleyne, who charted her own journey as an African American student overcoming obstacles and earning her PhD with degrees in chemistry and engineering, was among the speakers at the event.
The Richmond–Bay Area Youth Council is a newly activated branch of the National NAACP consisting of young people ages 14 to 24. It works to raise the consciousness of the community about civil and human rights and justice. Younger students who exhibit an interest in civil rights issues can join. For more information see @RichmondNAACPYouth on Instagram or call the Youth Council secretary Tajii Thomas at (510) 776-0091 or the Adult YC Advisor Zelon Harrison at (916) 236-8181.
Parents are strongly encouraged to be involved For information or questions about ACT-SO please contact Audrey Shields at 510-313-8888.
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Oakland Post: Week of February 5 – 11, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of February 5 – 11, 2025

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Activism
OP-ED: Like Physicians, U.S. Health Institutions Must ‘First, Do No Harm’
Coupled with their lack of government and healthcare-related experience, we are concerned these nominees will significantly undermine public health, increase the number of uninsured people, worsen health outcomes, and exacerbate health disparities. Physicians observe Hippocrates’ maxim to “First Do No Harm,”, and we urge Trump administration officials to do the same. It is critical that the leadership of HHS and its agencies make decisions based on facts, evidence, and science. Misinformation and disinformation must not guide policymaking decisions and undermine evidence-based public health strategies. Spreading these falsehoods also erodes trust in our public institutions.

By Albert L. Brooks MD
Special to The Post
Presidential administrations significantly impact the health and wellbeing of our patients and communities.
Through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the agencies within it, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the National Institutes of Health, this new administration will decide how financial resources are allocated, dictate the focus of federal research, and determine how our public health care insurance systems are managed, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Vaccines for Children program, Medicare, and Medicaid.
The decisions made over the next four years will impact all Americans but will be felt more acutely by those most underserved and vulnerable.
As physicians, we are greatly concerned by the nominations announced by President Trump to critical healthcare related positions. Many of their previous statements and positions are rooted in misinformation.
Coupled with their lack of government and healthcare-related experience, we are concerned these nominees will significantly undermine public health, increase the number of uninsured people, worsen health outcomes, and exacerbate health disparities. Physicians observe Hippocrates’ maxim to “First Do No Harm,”, and we urge Trump administration officials to do the same.
It is critical that the leadership of HHS and its agencies make decisions based on facts, evidence, and science. Misinformation and disinformation must not guide policymaking decisions and undermine evidence-based public health strategies. Spreading these falsehoods also erodes trust in our public institutions.
Vaccines, in particular, have been a target of disinformation by some HHS nominees. In fact, research continues to confirm that vaccines are safe and effective. Vaccines go through multiple rounds of clinical trials prior to being approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for administration to the public.
Vaccines protect against life-threateningdiseasessuch as measles, polio, tetanus, and meningococcal disease and, when used effectively, have beenshowntoeliminateorsubstantiallyreducediseaseprevalenceand/orseverity.
Because of vaccine mis- and disinformation, there has been a resurgence in vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and whooping cough, endangering those who are too young or unable to be vaccinated.
Several nominees have spread disinformation alleging that fluoride in public drinking water is harmful. In fact, fluoride in drinking water at the recommended level of 0.7 parts per million, like we have in our EBMUD water, is safe and keeps teeth strong. Because of public health interventions dating back to the 1960s that have resulted in 72.3% of the U.S. population now having access to fluoridated water, there has been a reduction in cavities by about 25% in both children and adults.
We also encourage the next administration to invest in our public health infrastructure. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical role of public health agencies in preventing and responding to health crises in our communities.
Health departments at the state and local levels rely on federal funding support and technical assistance to develop public health response plans, implement public health strategies, and work with on the ground organizations to serve hard to reach communities. Public health agencies are critical for protecting everyone in our communities, regardless of income-level, insurance status, or housing status.
Health officials should also work to protect the significant improvements in insurance coverage that have occurred since the passage of theACAin 2010.According to HHS, the numberofuninsuredAmericansfellfrom48millionin2010to25.6millionin2023.
California has led the way by investing in Medi-Cal and expanding eligibility for enrollment. In fact, it reached its lowest uninsured rate ever in 2022 at 6.2%. Voters affirmed this commitment to expanding and protecting access to care in November by passing Proposition 35, which significantly expanded funding for California’s Medi-Cal program. The administration should advance policies that strengthen the ACA, Medicaid, and Medicare and improve access to affordable health care.
Regardless of the president in power, physicians will always put the best interests of our patients and communities at the forefront. We will continue to be a resource to our patients, providing evidence-based and scientifically proven information and striving to better their lives and our community’s health. We urge the new Trump administration to do the same.
Albert L. Brooks MD is the immediate past president of the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association, which represents 6,000 East Bay physicians.
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