This weekend, the New York State Association of Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, & Asian legislators celebrated their 52nd annual conference.

“As one of the important things we do during our weekend, we have workshops called issue forums where we discuss a wide range of topics, including mental health, housing, nursing, union issues and community renewal,” NYSABPRHAL's Executive Director Charlene Gayle said.

The theme of this year's conference was "Fight the Power," and workshops addressed a wide range of issues, including health care inequities, housing insecurity and criminal justice reform.

Recreational marijuana was one topic at the forefront, and how minority communities deserve to have equality when it comes to usage and retail licenses.

“We need to understand what it means to have it in our community,” Yasmin Hurston Cornelius, treasurer of the New York CannaBusiness Chamber of Commerce, said. “It is important to understand our rights and the importance of hiring the right people to make your business succeed. Legislators and community organizers discussed climate change and environmental justice, as well as how to ensure that a more sustainable future can be achieved.”

Public officials, legislators, community organizers, advocates and constituents filled the hallways and meeting rooms of Empire Plaza to have discussions regarding the latter. Health care disparities that came to light during the COVID-19 pandemic, sparked various panel discussions.

“Health care policy can be better understood at the macro level within the agenda and objectives of the state,” said Johonnius Chemeweno, founder and CEO of Empass Healthcare. “But it is also important to understand it at the micro level within the communities most affected, such as the Asian, Puerto Rican, Black, and Hispanic communities.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a primary health care issue during the pandemic was maternal care. The maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women in 2020 was 55.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, 2.9 times the rate for non-Hispanic White women. Panels discussed ways to combat those stats and how dual care fits into the maternal health care crisis. 

This is about spreading the word about doulas, but it's also about making sure that Medicaid reimbursements are available for doulas as a means of combating maternal mortality,” New York state Senator Samra Brouk said. “New York state needs to be able to provide funding for this."

The conference ends on Sunday with worship services, workshops, panel discussions and a brunch, with the aim of providing those who attended with actionable steps to make a greater impact in their communities.