The Schenectady County Human Rights Commission (SCHRC) will host its annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. observance as a virtual event featuring keynote speaker Dr. Craig S. Andrade, RN, MPH, DRPH Associate Dean for Practice and Director of the Activist Lab at Boston University’s School of Public Health. This event will be accessible starting at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 15, 2023 at www.schenectadycounty.com/human-rights.
.The theme of the event is Paths to Change, with a focus on healthcare as a human right. The program will also include spoken word by Freedom McBride and Paulette Lunn, a video presentation, a conversation between Dr. Andrade and event emcee Camerine Robinson, and presentations from local elected officials and community leaders.
“We observe MLK Day of Service as a ‘day on, not a day off’ and as an opportunity to empower individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, create solutions to social problems and move us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a ‘Beloved Community’”, said Arthur Butler, Executive Director of the Schenectady County Human Rights Commission. “This year’s event focuses on Healthcare as a Human Right, utilizing spoken word, music, and thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Craig S. Andrade, our keynote speaker. The community is invited to experience this event together by watching at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 15.”
Presenters
- Dr. Craig S. Andrade, RN, MPH, DRPH Associate Dean for Practice and Director of the Activist Lab at Boston University’s School of Public Health – Keynote Speaker
- Camerine Robinson – master of ceremonies
- Freedom McBride – artist
- Paulette Lunn – artist
- Congressman Paul Tonko
- Schenectady County Legislator and Human Rights Commissioner Philip Fields
Dr. Craig S. Andrade, RN, MPH, DRPH
Craig Andrade is Associate Dean of Practice and Director of the Activist Lab at Boston University’s School of Public Health (SPH) where he is serves to catalyze and encourage SPH’s public health practice portfolio locally and globally among all members of the school community, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners. He is also a member of the Dean’s Cabinet and the Governing Council and chairs the school’s permanent practice committee.
Previously Dr. Andrade was the Director of the Bureau of Family Health & Nutrition (BFHN) at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). BFHN’s programs include Early Intervention (EI), Pregnancy, Infancy and Early Childhood, Children and Youth with Special Health Needs, Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, Home Visiting, Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant, Breastfeeding Initiative, Birth Defects Surveillance, Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program, the Office of Data Translation and Birth Defects Research and Prevention. He also served as Director of the Division of Health Access at DPH, helped found the Racial Equity Leadership Team and Cross-Department Racial Equity Collaborative at DPH and was Associate Dean of Health and Wellness and Director of Student Health Services at Wheaton College in Norton, MA.
He served as critical care, public health and ward nurse at Boston Medical Center; nurse manager and head athletic trainer at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge, MA; and was owner/operator of Active Health, a private health and fitness company. Craig is a registered nurse, athletic trainer, licensed massage therapist and strength and condition specialist with masters and doctoral degrees in public health from Boston University. His research interests include behavioral risk management and resilience-building among children, adolescents, and young adults.
Schenectady County Human Rights Commission
The SCHRC was established in 1965 to foster mutual respect and enhance understanding among all racial, religious and ethnic groups in Schenectady County, and to assist individuals in securing their legal rights. Learn more about SCHRC at www.schenectadycounty.com/human-rights.