The Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic have combined to expose many of the inequities in the nation’s health care system and the impact those have on poor and minority populations, including African Americans. In the U.S., the history of racism and segregation combine with explicit and implicit biases to impact minorities and create health disparities and poorer outcomes, explains Chasity Washington, the director of the OSUCCC – James Center for Cancer Health Equity. “Systemic racism can lead to many types of discrimination in addition to health care disparities — including housing and education issues — that impact health.” Watch the video player above to learn more about The James’ work to address cancer health disparities on our Cancer-Free World Podcast. The Center for Cancer Health Equity provides a number of services to underserved populations in Columbus and throughout Ohio, including a mobile mammography unit, a cervical cancer outreach program and free, yearly colorectal cancer screenings. The center will soon launch a mobile lung cancer screening unit as well. “We’ve also led several anti-racism discussions here at The James,” Washington says. “What I’ve found is that, most often, people here want to know how they can help. People are becoming more aware and want to do better. I tell people, ‘Be kind to yourself. We all have some biases, but that doesn’t mean you’re a racist.’” The COVID-19 pandemic has shown “in real-time the disparities that exist in some communities,” Washington says. “Where you live and what you do matters. Many people have to take public transportation to work — they have to be out and are exposed. They have essential jobs and may live in houses with multiple people and can’t social distance easily. The disparity for African Americans is the biggest, but we see disparities in other groups as well. We’re all one race, but race matters in terms of health disparities.” Get the latest info about issues affecting cancer care and research on The James Cancer-Free World Podcast.