“Marketing, Race and Racial Equity” Keynote Address by Sonya Grier

Sonya Grier gave the keynote address, titled "Expanding the Lens: Targeted Marketing and Racial Equity," at the 2021 Robert H. Levi Leadership Symposium which was then followed by discussion from four panelists, including MIH's Ron Hill. 

The Levi Symposium was created with the purpose of "[raising] the level of ethical discourse about critical issues in medicine and social policy" and features lectures from researchers and practitioners with touchpoints in human well-being.  Previous discussions have included the ethics of virtual humans, responses to the Ebola outbreak of 2014, and optimizing positive results in peditric medicine.

This year's symposium, concerned with "the marketing of products that pose health risks and racial equity," specifically focused on food advertising and its effects on communities of color.

"I was really excited about the thought of a public talk as marketing and race is a topic that has widespread effects on people's experiences in the marketplace; but at the same time I get the sense that it's not really taken as seriously as some other priorities," Grier began. "I have always felt that if a broader segment of people really understood these issues, there could be more of an impetus for change."

Following Dr. Grier's talk, the symposium held a panel discussion featuring George Brenkert of Georgetown University, Nicholas Freudenberg of CUNY, N. Craig Smith of INSEAD, and Dr. Hill. 

Dr. Grier's lecture and the subsequent panel discussion are publicly available on the Berman Institute's YouTube channel.