Commentary

COMMENTARY: Meharry’s Juul grant is good news

FLORIDA COURIER — Should Meharry Medical College, a Historically Black College (HBCU) established in 1876 in Nashville, have accepted $7.5 million from Juul Labs, the controversial e-cigarette company that provides an alternative to smoking tobacco? Meharry says it will use the grant, the second-largest it has ever received, to study public health issues and African Americans, including the health effects of tobacco products. They will establish a Center for the Study of Social Determinants of Health and according to its president, Dr. James Hildreth, “begin conducting fully-independent research into the health conditions and issues related to tobacco and nicotine-delivery products.”

Published

6 years ago

July 15, 2019

Vijayakumar B

Dr. Julianne Malveaux

Should Meharry Medical College, a Historically Black College (HBCU) established in 1876 in Nashville, have accepted $7.5 million from Juul Labs, the controversial e-cigarette company that provides an alternative to smoking tobacco?

Meharry says it will use the grant, the second-largest it has ever received, to study public health issues and African Americans, including the health effects of tobacco products. They will establish a Center for the Study of Social Determinants of Health and according to its president, Dr. James Hildreth, “begin conducting fully-independent research into the health conditions and issues related to tobacco and nicotine-delivery products.”

Should have passed?

Critics say that Meharry has made a deal with the devil since African American people smoke more and have a higher death rate from tobacco-related illnesses than other racial and ethnic groups. They think Meharry should have passed on the Juul donation because they don’t believe that the historically Black Meharry can’t take Juul’s money and continue to make a difference in Black lives.

I say nonsense! Juul will not be dictating the topics or terms of research with Meharry. Dr. Hildreth, who has been determined to increase the amount of research that Meharry students are doing, says the college approached Juul, not the other way around – and they did it with their eyes wide open.

He says he is confident that the new research center Meharry will establish will be independent of Juul. They won’t have input to the research topics that Meharry tackles, nor will they determine the course or direction of research.

A pause

Most medical colleges, including Meharry, turn down contributions from tobacco companies. As Meharry and Juul were exploring the possibility of the donation, Altria, a tobacco company, acquired 35 percent of Juul. Should that have killed the deal?

It caused Meharry to pause. But eventually, they decided to accept the money because they believe they can use it for the greater good. I agree.

President Hildreth has been a biomedical researcher for more than 36 years. In a letter to the Meharry community, he reminded them that “The bodies of Black Americans have historically been the subject of scientific experimentation with no control on our part. If it takes an unorthodox partnership to change that dynamic, then let the research begin.”

Government approval

I can’t read that part of Hildreth’s letter without thinking of the Tuskegee syphilis experiments, where the federal government-funded research on the effects of untreated syphilis on Black men. Medicine to cure syphilis was withheld from the men in the experiment. The federal government did this!

The commercial use of Black bodies included the harvesting (and reproduction) of the cells of Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman whose DNA is still being used today for medical research. And, when we think of experiments on Black bodies, one must think of the odious J. Marion Sims, who was called the “father of modern gynecology.” He earned his fame by conducting painful experiments on enslaved women. Thank goodness New York City removed his statue from Central Park!

Meharry doesn’t aim to hurt the six million African Americans who are smokers or to profit from them. They aim to have a seat at the research table, a place from which Black researchers, and Black research institutions, have often been excluded.

Juul’s contribution allows Meharry to pull up a chair to the research table and participate in the scientific inquiry about the health effects of cigarettes and other tobacco products – critical investigation given the fact that African Americans are more likely to die from tobacco-related illnesses than others.

Some questions

Dr. Hildreth’s letter to the Meharry community outlines several research questions. What is the long-term impact of e-cigarettes? Does vaping cause developmental health issues? Are vaping devices effective as smoking reduction or cessation devices?

Will laws prohibiting tobacco sales for those under 21 improve health outcomes? San Francisco recently passed legislation outlawing the sale of vaping devices. How effective are such laws? These are questions worth answering through research.

From where I sit, Meharry should have negotiated for a much more substantial contribution from Juul, and perhaps they will. After all, according to Dr. Hildreth, the tobacco industry “has taken our money and delivered sickness and death in return.

“We at Meharry intend to advance the fight for better health and longer life by turning that insidious relationship on its head.”

The right thing

Bravo, Dr. Hildreth. If Meharry’s research can help us learn more about addiction, and if the research can be used for tobacco use prevention, then Meharry is doing the right thing. I don’t see others lining up to fund Meharry’s research, and fundraising for HBCUs is extremely challenging.

I look forward to the work that the Center for the Study of Social Determinants of Health will produce.

Julianne Malveaux is a Washington, D.C.-based economist and writer. Her latest book, “Are We Better Off? Race, Obama and Public Policy,” is available at www.juliannemalveaux.com. Click on this commentary at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

This article originally appeared in the Florida Courier.

Vijayakumar B

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Activism

We Fought on Opposite Sides of the Sheng Thao Recall. Here’s Why We’re Uniting Behind Barbara Lee for Oakland Mayor

Today, we are coming together to do all we can to make sure Barbara Lee is elected Mayor in the April 15 Oakland special election. Here’s why. Now more than ever, Oakland needs a respected, hands-on leader who will unite residents behind a clear vision for change. The next mayor will have to hit the ground running with leaders and stakeholders across our political divide to get to work solving the problems standing in the way of Oakland’s progress. Job No. 1: improving public safety. Everyone agrees that all Oaklanders deserve to feel safe in their neighborhoods. But sadly, too many of us do not.

Published

1 day ago

March 24, 2025

Oakland Post

Robert Harris (left) is a retired attorney at PG&E and former legal counsel for NAACP. Richard Fuentes is co-owner of FLUID510 and chair of the Political Action Committee, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 57. Courtesy photos.

By Robert Harris and Richard Fuentes
Special to The Post

The City of Oakland is facing a number of urgent challenges, from housing and public safety to a pressing need for jobs and economic development. One of us, Robert Harris, supported the November recall vote that removed Mayor Sheng Thao from office. Meanwhile, Richard Fuentes believed the recall was the wrong strategy to tackle Oakland’s challenges.

Today, we are coming together to do all we can to make sure Barbara Lee is elected Mayor in the April 15 Oakland special election. Here’s why.

Now more than ever, Oakland needs a respected, hands-on leader who will unite residents behind a clear vision for change.

The next mayor will have to hit the ground running with leaders and stakeholders across our political divide to get to work solving the problems standing in the way of Oakland’s progress.

Job No. 1: improving public safety. Everyone agrees that all Oaklanders deserve to feel safe in their neighborhoods. But sadly, too many of us do not.

During her three decades in the state Legislature and Congress, Lee made public safety a priority, securing funding for police and firefighters in Oakland, delivering $15.8 million in community safety funding, and more. Today, she has a plan for making Oakland safer. It starts with making sure police are resourced, ready, and on patrol to stop the most dangerous criminals on our streets.

Oakland residents and business owners are feeling the impact of too many assaults, smash/grabs, retail thefts, and home robberies. Lee will increase the number of police on the streets, make sure they are focused on the biggest threats, and invest in violence prevention and proven alternatives that prevent crime and violence in the first place.

In addition, on day one, Barbara Lee will focus on Oakland’s business community, creating an advisory cabinet of business owners and pushing to ensure Oakland can attract and keep businesses of all sizes.

The other top issue facing Oakland is housing and homelessness. As of May 2024, over 5,500 people were unhoused in the city. Oaklanders are just 25% of the population of Alameda County, but the city has 57% of the unhoused population.

Unhoused people include seniors, veterans, single women, women with children, people who suffer physical and mental illness, unemployed and undereducated people, and individuals addicted to drugs. Some are students under 18 living on the streets without their parents or a guardian. Research shows that 53% of Oakland’s homeless population is Black.

Starting on her first day in office, Lee will use her national profile and experience to bring new resources to the city to reduce homelessness and expand affordable housing. And she will forge new public/private partnerships and collaboration between the City, Alameda County, other public agencies, and local nonprofits to ensure that Oakland gets its fair share of resources for everything from supportive services to affordable housing.

Besides a public safety and housing crisis, Oakland has a reputational crisis at hand. Too many people locally and nationally believe Oakland does not have the ability to tackle its problems.

Lee has the national reputation and the relationships she can use to assert a new narrative about our beloved Oakland – a vibrant, diverse, and culturally rich city with a deep history of activism and innovation.

Everyone remembers how Lee stood up for Oakland values as the only member of Congress not to authorize the disastrous Iraq War in 2001. She has led the fight in Congress for ethics reform and changes to the nation’s pay-to-play campaign finance laws.

Lee stands alone among the candidates for mayor as a longtime champion of honest, transparent, and accountable government—and she has the reputation and the skills to lead an Oakland transformation that puts people first.

The past few years have been a trying period for our hometown.

Robert Harris supported the recall because of Thao’s decision to fire LeRonne Armstrong; her refusal to meet with certain organizations, such as the Oakland Branch of the NAACP; and the city missing the deadline for filing for a state grant to deal with serious retail thefts in Oakland.

Richard Fuentes opposed the recall, believing that Oakland was making progress in reducing crime. The voters have had their say; now, it is time for us to move forward together and turn the page to a new era.

The two of us don’t agree on everything, but we agree on this: the next few years will be safer, stronger, and more prosperous if Oaklanders elect Barbara Lee as our next mayor on April 15.

Robert Harris is a retired attorney at PG&E and former legal counsel for NAACP.

Richard Fuentes is co-owner of FLUID510 and chair of the Political Action Committee, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 57.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Faith Leaders Back Barbara Lee for Mayor, Criticize Candidate Loren Taylor for Dishonest Campaigning

Speaking as individuals, participants in the interview were Pastor Michael Wallace of the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church; Pastor Mike McBride, Oakland resident and pastor of the Way Christian Center in Berkeley; Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Thompson of Allen Temple Baptist Church; Bishop Kevin Barnes, pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church; and Bishop Keith Clark of Word Assembly.

Published

1 day ago

March 24, 2025

Oakland Post

From left: Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Thompson. Bishop Kevin Barnes. Pastor Mike McBride. Bishop Keith Clark. Pastor Michael Wallace. Courtesy photos.

‘Barbara Lee has a proven track record of listening to the community and translating things into action, and not just talking about it, but doing it. And I believe that this is one of the qualities that will serve her well as being our mayor,’ said Pastor Kevin Barnes

The Black Church PAC, a national faith leaders initiative, will be posting its endorsement of Lee this week

Ken Epstein

Prominent local faith leaders held a telephone interview Thursday with the Oakland Post to express their concerns about the election and their support for former Congresswoman Barbara Lee for Mayor of Oakland.

“I feel that this is a critical election for the City of Oakland,” said Pastor Wallace. “Our city is in a crisis, and we need someone who has the experience to stabilize our city and to go beyond the borders of our city to bring resources to address the issues that we’re facing.”

The leaders also criticized another candidate, former Oakland City Councilmember Loren Taylor, for conducting a dishonest smear campaign against Lee and urged Oakland flatland residents to go to the polls and join efforts to actively encourage others to vote in the April 15 special election.

Pastor McBride said, “I believe Oakland needs to send a loud message that our city is not for sale. Barbara Lee is the epitome of ‘unbought, unbossed’ integrity and is someone who has brought results. It has been very offensive to listen to candidates in this race, particularly Loren Taylor, attempt to disparage her name and discredit her record.”

“I truly believe that Congresswoman Lee is the best-suited candidate” for the job, he continued, adding that it is “absolutely crucial that individuals in our communities, particularly in the flatlands, are encouraged to participate in this process because the stakes are high, and I don’t think we should surrender our city to special interests. We have to let (people) know that our city will not be seized without our voices being heard.”

Pastor McBride added, “The only way we can really ensure that we’re going to be able to do that is to make sure that Oakland does not fall into such dishonor is to vote with a level of turnout that ensures the election is not close.”

“Barbara Lee has spoken for us, not just through slogans and not just through rhetoric, but she’s bought billions of dollars just in the last two years, arguably in the worst era of pandemic suffering. She has helped to stabilize the city,” he said.

Pastor McBride said that this race has attracted a lot of outside “money and supporters who align themselves with the likes of [President Donald] Trump. Any candidate running for mayor of Oakland who can be attractive to MAGA ought to give folks a pause. Why is Barbara Lee not the candidate for MAGA but Loren Taylor seems to be?”

Rev. Thompson said, “I’m concerned about the tone and the tenor of the race. We have proof from Washington, D.C., that elections matter. It is not just a matter of that you are running, but it is also how you are running. So, the idea that there would be an attempt to castigate the character of a woman who’s been wholly committed, not just to her district but to her city, is concerning.

“The idea that misinformation and alternative facts would be allowed to be propagated, unchecked, without any attempt to correct it by someone who seeks to be our leader is challenging to me,” said Thompson. “I support Barbara Lee because Barbara Lee is a proven leader.

“She’s proven that she can bring people together,” she said. “She has also proven when she stood as the lone person against the vote for a blank check in times of war that she cannot be bought, that she will keep the needs of the people, not just the needs of those who are considered elite or up-and-coming, but the needs of the least and the lost and the ‘left out’ of this city.”

Dr. Thompson said, “I support her because has been faithful to this city, whether you have seen her or whether you have not seen her. The millions and billions of dollars that she has brought to our area is unquestionable.”

The Black Church PAC, a national initiative led by faith leaders including Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, will post its endorsement of Congresswoman Barbara Lee this week.

Bishop Clark said, “In times like these we need someone who can fix and build our city and communities, and I believe that Congresswoman Barbara Lee can do the job”

“Barbara Lee has a proven track record of listening to the community and translating things into action, and not just talking about it, but doing it. And I believe that this is one of the qualities that will serve her well as being our mayor,” said Bishop Barnes.