African American Community Engagement

In 2017, with the guidance of our African American Leadership Council, Compassion & Choices began a concerted effort to ensure the African American community was inspired to take charge of their end-of-life planning and care. This includes:

Collaborating with leading national organizations and thought leaders.
Launching public-education campaigns.
Conducting outreach to inspire end-of-life planning. And,
Identifying storytellers and advocates.

Through this work, we recognize that the first step in reaching the African American community is inspiring more conversations. Check out our public service announcement, “Talking About Death Won’t Kill You”:

Take Action

Join us in our movement to empower more African Americans to take charge of their end-of-life:

Graphic with African American Leadership Committee member Elaine Saunders sitting in a purple suit and red hat that says protect your
legacy

Leadership Council

The African American Leadership Council represents diverse groups of executives, community leaders, faith leaders and experts in the fields of medicine, estate planning and more.

A collage of images of the African American Leadership Council working in the community

They:

Meet with members of Congress to advance our legislative efforts;

Hold webinars and events for underserved communities;

Secure endorsements from diverse organizations; And,

Extend their voice to the movement through various media outlets.

Click here to s ee our leadership council in action.

Resolutions

Compassion & Choices' many efforts have gained support from several leading national organizations that represent the African American community. We work with these organizations to create resolutions. These are used as a community building tool to garner support and provide examples on how C&C can help their organization join the end-of-life care movement. Resolutions are also a call-to-action as they also outline how an organization is going to take action. Resolutions create accountability while measuring impact and engagement..

Click here to learn more about the organizations we have partnered with

Thought Leaders

We’ve also secured the endorsements of highly respected thought leaders and activists across the country who support increased efforts to empower the African American community about end-of-life planning.

Thought Leader	Bio
Dr. Irene Jackson-Brown	Irene V. Jackson-Brown, Ph.D., CSA, CMC, CDP, is an author, speaker, consultant, caregiver’s coach, educator and current Compassion & Choices Board member. In 2005, she opened an applied gerontology practice as the “The Art of Eldercare.” Irene holds several certifications as a senior-servicing professional – CSA (Certified Senior Advisor) from the Society of Certified Senior Advisors; CMC (Care Manager Certified) from the Association of Aging Life Care Professionals; and a CDP (Certified Dementia Practitioner) from the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners. She spoke about the importance of end-of-life care in this conversation.
Elaine Saunders	Elaine S. Saunders is the Chair of the Genevieve N. Johnson Senior Day Care Center Advisory Council, based in Washington, D.C. As part of its goals, the Genevieve N. Johnson Senior Day Care Center has the ultimate objective to make a joyful, improved and quality-driven life for all of its senior citizen clients. We discussed how having a plan can protect your loved ones.
Dr. Benjamin Chavis	In his editorial, Black Life Journeys Matter, Dr. Benjamin Franklin Chavis, Jr., well-known African American civil rights leader and president of the National Newspaper Publishers Association noted that: “While there has been a lot of appropriate national attention and focus on the beginning of life’s journey, there has not been enough attention on the inevitable transition and conclusions of one’s life journey, particularly from the African American perspective.”
Dr. Jeff Gardere	Dr. Jeff Gardere, often known as “Dr. Jeff” or “America’s Psychologist” was on the cover of our Summer 2020 magazine, and has testified in support of medical aid in dying across the country, participated in national webinars, and worked with us to develop a video to bring to light some of the challenges faced with end-of-life planning and to overcome them.
Rev. Dr. Paul Smith	Rev. Dr. Paul Smith is a civil rights activist and former pastor of several large churches. He has a long relationship with Compassion & Choices, including serving on the Board of Directors and Board of Advisors. He was featured on the cover of our winter 2022 magazine, appeared in numerous videos, and inspired an award in his honor to recognize his significant contributions to the movement.

The late Congressman Elijah Cummings (MD) and Congressman Anthony G. Brown (MD), both of whom publicly endorsed medical aid in dying through written letters.

Public Education Campaigns

Compassion & Choices has raised the visibility and importance of end-of-life planning through digital ads, direct mail, print ads and video development. USA Today included a Compassion & Choices ad in their special edition Black History Month feature, which was distributed to more than 5 million people via print and online.

Click here to learn more our Public Education Initiatives