NSB 846 PROJECT

Our Impetus for this Project
In 1966, speaking at a Convention of Medical Committee on Human Rights in Chicago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. described health inequalities as “shocking and inhuman.” COVID-19 has further exposed the shock and inhumanity of health inequities; and the death of George Floyd has crystalized the shock and inhumanity of racist inequities. In 8 minutes and 46 seconds that felt like eternity, the grotesque intersection of racism and Black morbidity revealed one of its latest systemic acts of inhumanity, discounting the cries (“I Can’t Breathe”) of the dying Floyd and calls from a shocked audience to allow Floyd to keep breathing.
According to the CDC, Black health culture is negatively impacted by several factors, including (a) living conditions in densely populated areas, as a result of institutional racism in the form of residential housing segregation; (b) work conditions, including a high representation of racial and ethnic minorities working as licensed vocational nurses; and (c) underlying health conditions and lack of access to adequate healthcare, resulting in chronic diseases and death.
Our Praxis
A key component of our IPP work is our NSB 846 Pledge. Envisioned as a response to systemic racial and health inequities, our NSB 846 Pledge is a direct action commitment to confront the systemic violence that choked Floyd in 8 minutes and 46. Customizable for persons or communities or institutions, the Pledge offers guidelines for concrete action to create systemic life and health for Black Subjects, specifically, and for marginalized communities, generally. Actions may include (but not be limited to) the following:
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Programmatic Funding: Allocate 8.46% of annual budgets or discretionary spending towards Black health initiatives, for 8 consecutive years;
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Donations: Donate $846 (or any permutation of 846) to a social and racial justice organization doing work at the intersection of racial and health justice;
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Mental and Spiritual Wellbeing: Devote 8.46 minutes of prayer (per day) for the healing of traumatized communities, aligned with 84.6 minutes of community service; etc.
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Mentorship (The 846 Mentor Program): Mentor 8 black or brown students/young scholars for 4 weeks (total) over a six month period.
NSB 846 Pledge Guidelines:
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Identify an Issue of systemic inequity connected to health and race/ethnicity
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Designate/Develop a Platform for Action-Plan(s) to mitigate or eliminate the inequity
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Design/Develop a Program/Event to implement your ideals/Goals
Note:
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Customize your Pledge to match your resource abilities and institutional identity for maximum impact and transformation
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If possible, make your Pledge renewable (repeatable) and sustainable
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Please note: The term 8.46 is a benchmark and quantities given in time and resources may of course be rounded and up and implemented beyond the scope of 8.46 as long the benchmark is met.
Downloads
with Appendix include:
NSB C.A.R.E. Pledge Sheet
Community Pledge
Advocacy Pledge
Research Pledge
Education Pledge
NSB Leadership Info Sheet
Identity leaders within to take the reigns
on implementing the project
The 846 Hotline Lifelines Sheet (Ideas for Action):
Biblical resources (biblical texts and interpretations)
Environmental resources
Ritual resources
Ethical resources
Possible Platforms
Church services
Christian Education programs
Annual events (alumni/ae events)
Company/organizational events
Possible Scope of Programs
Health events in churches
Mentorship and Internship programs