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In a new book published Tuesday, CUNY SPH Distinguished Professor Emeritus Nicholas Freudenberg traces six decades of health activism in New York City.
The book, “Fighting for New York: Activism for Health and Social Justice Since the 1960s,” offers both a history of major campaigns and a practical guide for today’s organizers, advocates, and policymakers. Dr. Freudenberg focuses on the questions that shape successful campaigns: how to define the problem, engage the community, choose tactics, and know when progress has been made.
The book argues that housing, wages, food access, policing, incarceration, climate, and medical care are all health issues influenced by policy and power.
“Health is not just a medical issue. It is shaped by the conditions in which people live — their housing, food, work, health care, and environment,” Dr. Freudenberg says.
Drawing on campaigns led by the Young Lords, ACT UP, Fight for $15, Housing Justice for All, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, and others, Dr. Freudenberg shows how community organizing and activist campaigns have changed conditions across the city. He also includes case studies of nine major New York campaigns, along with lessons from both victories and setbacks.
Freudenberg, a leading figure in urban public health for five decades, is the founder of the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute, the CUNY SPH doctoral program, and the Hunter College Center on AIDS, Drugs and Community Health. His scholarship and activism have focused on childhood lead poisoning, AIDS prevention, urban food policy, community organizing, and mass incarceration.
On Tuesday July 14, the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute will host a virtual book talk featuring a panel discussion on the future of health activism in New York City and beyond. Participants include NYC Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Helen Arteaga; Liz Accles, a leader of the free lunch for all campaign in New York City; Johanna Fernandez, author of “Young Lords: A Radical History”; and Stanley Richards, NYC Commissioner of Correction. RSVP here!
