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Black History Month Virtual Celebration

The national theme for Black History Month 2022 is “Black Health and Wellness.”

In celebration of Black History Month, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Weeksville Heritage Center have partnered to recognize several individuals who are the embodiment of this year’s theme. They, along with countless others, help us navigate the medical and mental health disparities challenging our communities.

Join us for this virtual celebration as we spotlight these honorees who strive to make a difference in people’s lives every day:

  • Julie Dent, Executive Director of LIFE Audrey Johnson Day Care Center
  • Moro Salifu, MD, MPH, MBA, MACP, Professor and Chair of Medicine and Director Brooklyn Health Disparities Center.
  • Tesa Wilson, educator, activist, and advocate for youth education

The event will also include a guided meditation, poetry reading, and remarks by Council member Chi Ossé.

Event Details

Wed,Feb 23, 2022 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Weeksville Heritage Center
158 Buffalo AvenueBrooklyn, NY 11213 (map)

HONOREE BIOGRAPHIES

Tesa Wilson has been a dedicated member of her community and has given her time and efforts to ensure that the children and families of Williamsburg,Greenpoint, and Bushwick have a voice.

She started out as a Learning Leader at P.S. 250K before becoming a member of Community Education Council 14 where she was later elected as President in 2010 and has been reelected unanimously by her peers ever since. Over the course of her career, she has been a Brooklyn Borough President Appointee, a member of District 14’s Diversity Task Force, a founding member of The Education Councils Consortium.  In 2015 she became a Coordinator in the Office Of Community and Parent Outreach for the United Federation of Teachers. She has served as the Chairwoman of the Education and Youth Sub-committee of Community Board 1, Board Member of NYCKidsPac, and proud member of the NAACP. She recently became the UFT’s  Brooklyn Community & Parent Outreach Liaison and looks forward to her future endeavors.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Julie Dent is a dedicated educator and a community activist who works tirelessly to improve Early Learn Center’s schools and strengthen communities near and far.  Throughout her life she has always developed educational experiences that address the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical needs of all children.  

She served as the Executive Site Director of the LIFE, Audrey Johnson Learning Center for many years where she successfully secured grants, organized volunteers, and partnered with technology-related organizations to obtain computers for the Center’s children. 

She is a determined activist and volunteer who has relentlessly worked to protect and provide for the health care needs of young people and has received numerous awards and honors for her service to the children and families of New York.  

Dr. Moro Salifu is a tenured Professor of Medicine and Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Downstate Health Sciences University (Downstate), Brooklyn. In this capacity, he oversees very large clinical, medical education and research programs for the department of medicine at Downstate. He is also the Edwin C. and Anne K. Weiskopf Endowed Chair in Kidney Diseases and Hypertension. For his exemplary contributions in science and in leadership, Dr. Salifu was recognized as Master of the American College of Physicians (ACP) in 2018 in its Annual Convocation ceremony in New Orleans.

He also serves as the Director of the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center (BHDC). The Brooklyn health Disparities Center was established in 2004 as a partnership between SUNY Downstate, the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health and the Brooklyn Borough President’s office. Its mission is to eliminate health disparities in Brooklyn, through community engagement, health education, health promotion, and research to find solutions.