I rarely go into the pages of one of my journals to cut and paste something online...
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11/08/2009: American Public Health Association 134th annual conference, Philadelphia, PA.
"Ladies and gentleman, please take your seats. The program is about to begin." A man's voice echoed through Hall C of the conference center. "The program began when I found out I had a sponsorship to attend APHA" I thought to myself. The program had definitely started by the time I caught the first shuttle to the conference center from the hotel.
The room wasn't full yet. Although there were many people in the hall, the space was enormous. Thousands of attendants were expected from all over the United States and some international locations. Some familiar faces emerged from the dim light. Dr. David Satcher was swarmed with Public Health colleagues and groupies. True to form, I sat four rows from the front, in the center. Too far from the aisle where he stood to get my own handshake. Definitely too far to get a picture for Facebook (I got that later). Dr. Camara Phylis Jones also had her group of admirers nearby. For the first time, I regretted sitting front and center.
The program began -the 137th annual meeting of the American Public Health Association- and so did my first Public Health conference as a "future public health practitioner". For some, this conference was a renewal of their commitment to Public Health. But for me attending was a testament to my commitment, dedication, and support for what I'm so passionate about, the human right to live a healthy life despite: socioeconomic status, gender, education, religion, culture, sexual identity, history of incarceration, or any other social identification.
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