LA has a long history of oil extraction that has been linked to segregation and redlining. Oil fields like Inglewood, Beverly, and Cheviot Hills have been extracting resources for nearly a century. However, residents living near these oil fields have different sociodemographic circumstances that may affect oil extraction practices and contribute to environmental racism. Oil extraction uses chemicals in well maintenance and stimulation that maintain the integrity of the well and promote oil extraction. Some of these chemicals are known to be hazardous to human health. To evaluate the correlation between sociodemographics and chemical usage in LA County oil fields, I will construct Geographic Information Systems (GIS) generated maps to analyze the sociodemographic distribution of oil field adjacent residents. I will evaluate the South Coast Air Quality Monitoring District (SCAQMD) chemical usage data and oil production data from California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) from 2015-2019 based on chemicals per oil field event and oil produced each year. I will utilize statistical tests to argue if chemical usage in oil fields adjacent to lower-income BIPOC communities will be higher than in more affluent white neighborhoods. This research will be essential for the field of environmental epidemiology as LA County plans to phase out oil extraction by 2042. The county must efficiently clean oil operations to ensure LA communities that have experienced environmental racism are treated equitably.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to determine African American pastors’ perspectives regarding the role of the Black Church in providing health-related information and/or initiatives to their congregations. Participants will be invited to participate in a semi-structured interview about their previous and/or current public health programming activities. The study will answer the following research questions: (1) what are pastors’ perceptions of the church’s responsibility for health promotion, (2) for those churches who provide health programming, what have been the short- and long-term impacts of those efforts, and (3) what opportunities and barriers to initiating or continuing health promotion activities exist? The goals of the study are to better understand pastors’ views regarding health promotion and barriers to initiating or continuing it so that solutions can be implemented to enhance the health and well-being of the African American community. Keywords: Black Church, public health promotion, congregations

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Black Americans experienced higher rates of vaccine hesitancy and lower rates of vaccine uptake when compared to White Americans. Medical mistrust due to historical and contemporary adverse experiences with the medical system was the primary argument leveraged for these observed disparities in the Black community. This study's research question centers around the causes of vaccine hesitancy among Black Americans and potential recommendations to alleviate the issue. An extensive literature review surrounding the causes of vaccine hesitancy in Black Americans on research databases (PubMed) and the recommendations outlined by researchers comprise the methodological approach for this study. Within this inquiry, this study aims to assist in reshaping the conversation of vaccine hesitancy among Black Americans from being overly critical of the Black community to one that is more understanding and empathetic.