Communities That Care Coalition
Promoting health, well-being, and equity among young people in Franklin County and the North Quabbin
https://www.holcimfoundation.org/experts/mphethi-morojele
Mphethi Morojele founded MMA Design Studio as MMA Architects in 1995 soon after the end of Apartheid. Since then, the practice has completed several award-winning projects including South Africa’s embassies in Germany (2003) and Ethiopia (2009), and the Freedom Park project in Pretoria (2010).
Kunlé Adeyemi is an architect, designer and development researcher whose works are internationally recognised for originality and innovation. He is the founder and principal of NLÉ – an architecture, design and urbanism practice founded in 2010, for innovating cities and communities. Adeyemi’s notable works include ‘Makoko Floating School’, a groundbreaking, prototype floating structure once located in the lagoon heart of Lagos, Nigeria. Makoko Floating School has since evolved into ‘Makoko Floating System (MFSTM)’ – a simple, prefabricated, building solution for developments on water – now deployed in 5 countries across 3 continents. This acclaimed project is part of NLÉ’s extensive body of work – the ‘African Water Cities’ – which explores the intersections of rapid urbanisation and climate change. In 2016 NLÉ was awarded the Silver Lion Prize for its second iteration of Makoko Floating School (MFS II – Waterfront Atlas) at the 15th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Other NLÉ projects include A Prelude to The Shed in New York, USA, the Black Rhino Academy in Karatu, Tanzania and the Serpentine Summer House at the Royal Kensington Gardens in London, UK.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Shabazz
Betty Shabazz (born Betty Dean Sanders;[2] May 28, 1935[a] – June 23, 1997), also known as Betty X, was an American educator and civil rights advocate who was married to Malcolm X.
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/08/g-s1-118144/kestheband-tiny-desk-concert
The island has come to Tiny Desk. “Representing for soca music, happy music, love music,” leader Kees “Kes” Dieffenthaller tells us, KestheBand opens with “Hello,” a warm, Caribbean welcome.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kes_(band)
Kes (commonly known as Kes the Band or KTB) is a Trinidadian soca group formed in 2005, known for their eclectic mix of R&B, Pop, Rock, Soca, EDM and reggae. The band originally comprised brothers Kees Dieffenthaller on lead vocals, drummer Hans Dieffenthaller, rhythm guitarist Jon Dieffenthaller along with friend Riad Boochoon on bass guitar.[1][2] Hans was eventually replaced by Dean James with keyboardist Mario Callender and DJ Robbie Persaud appearing as supporting members. Since the band inception, they’ve been elevated to mainstream popularity locally and throughout the Caribbean diaspora.[3][1]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aariana_Rose_Philip
Aariana Rose Philip (born March 15, 2001) is an Antiguan-American model and musician. In 2018, she became the first Black, transgender, and physically disabled model to ever be represented by a major modeling agency, and has since modeled in several major high fashion photo shoots and campaigns.[2][3][4][5][6] In 2021, Philip debuted as an exclusive for Moschino‘s spring/summer 2022 fashion show – making her the first model using a wheelchair to walk for a major luxury fashion brand.[7]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia_Jackson
Asia Jackson (born May 25, 1994) is an American actress, YouTuber, and activist of African-American and Filipino descent.[1] In 2016, she created the #MagandangMorenx (literally translated to “beautiful brown skin”) movement to combat colorism in Filipino communities worldwide.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/05/g-s1-119984/midwife-midwives-childbirth
Dawit Tamiru knew he wanted to be a midwife when he was just about 10 years old.
It started the day his mother gave birth to his younger sister. After the little girl arrived something wasn’t right: His mother had not delivered the placenta as typically happens after the birth. He recalls that the traditional birth attendant, who Tamiru says had minimal training, advised his mother that perhaps she was having twins and they should wait to see if another baby came.
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/16/nx-s1-5685086/thundercat-talks-about-his-new-album-distracted
The bass player known as Thundercat is cherished by fans of funk and jazz, and he recently revealed his love of “yacht rock” in a popular documentary. His new album is called “Distracted.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thundercat_(musician)
Stephen Lee Bruner (born October 19, 1984),[4] better known by his stage name Thundercat, is an American musician, singer, record producer, songwriter, and bassist from Los Angeles, California. First coming to prominence as a member of crossover thrash band Suicidal Tendencies, he returned to his musical roots, placing a strong focus on funk, soul, progressive R&B, psychedelia and jazz-fusion. He has since released five solo studio albums and is noted for his work with producer Flying Lotus and his appearances on Kendrick Lamar‘s 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly.[5] In 2016, Thundercat won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Performance for his work on the track “These Walls” from To Pimp a Butterfly. In 2020, Thundercat released his fourth studio album, It Is What It Is, which earned him a Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album. Rolling Stone has ranked him as one of the greatest bass players of all time.[6]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisa_Butler
Bisa Butler (born Mailissa Yamba Butler in 1973) is an African American fiber artist[1][2] who is credited with creating a new genre of quilting, using photographs, sketches, and vivid traditional textiles to create vibrant life-size portraits in fabric.[3][4][5] She is known for celebrating Black life and identity, portraying both everyday people and notable historical figures.[6][7][1] Although quilting has long been considered a craft, Butler’s use of interdisciplinary methods to create elaborate quilts that look like paintings is bringing recognition both to her work and to the medium of quilting as a whole, as a fine art form.[4][8]
https://www.npr.org/2024/01/24/1198909207/racism-minority-health-psychology
Scientists know that Black people are at a greater risk for health problems like heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease than white people. A growing body of research shows that racism in health care and in daily life contributes to these long-standing health disparities for Black communities.
Now, some researchers are asking whether part of the explanation involves how racism, across individual interactions and systems, may physically alter the brain.
“That could be behaviors like, let’s say, a woman clutching her purse as a black man is walking next to her. Or they could be verbal, like someone saying, like… ‘I didn’t expect you to be so articulate,'” says Negar Fani, a clinical neuroscientist at Emory University who studies people experiencing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.
Recently, Fani has collaborated with Nate Harnett, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, to study how the brain responds to traumatic events and extreme stress, including the events and stress related to racism.
https://www.mcleanhospital.org/profile/nathaniel-harnett
Nathaniel G. Harnett, PhD, is a neuroscientist whose research is focused on understanding the brain basis for why some people are more likely to develop stress-related disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), after trauma. His current work leverages magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques—including functional MRI, structural MRI, and diffusion weighted imaging—to identify multimodal neural signatures of PTSD susceptibility in the acute aftermath of trauma exposure.