Welcome to LIGHT.

Welcome to the transformative force we call LIGHT.

Welcome to its flame

Welcome to its fire

Welcome to its ray

Welcome to its shine

Welcome to its spark

Welcome to its utter brilliance,

Welcome to its radiant reflection

Welcome simply to a day we hope to clarify that the public in a field called public health, matters.

I start with these words from the poet Lucille Clifton’s description of LIGHT, because it is what, I hope, you leave with today.

The transformative force of light for a field that has put its public in the dark for so long, with our conferences that often exclude the public and our peer-reviewed publications that are often read by us and not the public we purport to serve.

This is a journey that began with fear, failure too, as it was intended to be an avenue through which we deliberately bring anti-racism into public health to achieve the social justice we all need and deserve with our healing.

Every time I remember how all this began, I remember our failure, our fear too.

I remember how fear has held many people back.

We have all been here before, myself in particular, I have been held back by the fear of.

If it isn’t this, it’s that.

If it isn’t stormy days, then it’s the perfect tornado, rain, hail, all of them mashed up into an eye of a storm. Only that it’s coming for you.

The storm that fear allows.

Yet, you keep walking through the storm,

many you dare not speak of.

But I’ll try today because I know fear.

Know what it requires too. In fear, you will find sadness, frustration, sickness.

I have been there too.

Leaned so much into fear that it’s despair became normal.

I let fear usher in headaches, and stuffy nose and eyes that would rather close than see another day or night go bye.

Fear has pushed me to places that I have never been too, thoughts dark, and spaces equally dark.

Fear let dark valleys become like shadows of death like Psalm 23 forewarned.

Fear has taken me to the dark all sorts of dreary places in need of light.

And even as I leaned into fear, feared fear too, fear took me, through the dark to light.

Reminded me that if there were no darkness, there will be no light.

I learnt that the moment I arrived at the home of fear. I saw that even in sickness or pain, fear will welcome you in with arms so wide that all you need to do is nestle your head at its bosom.

Plant your feet by its streams and let your body rest in its arms like a baby.

My heart, my soul, my body and my mind too, all of us has snuggled deeply into fear.

We meet you all today, greet you too with these opening words out of fear.

Wondering what today would be like.

Would we truly bring light?

Are we sure in the words of Toni Cade Bambara in her beautiful book, The salt eaters, that we want this light?

What happens when light never comes and all we still know when all is said and done is fear.

I meet you today in fear, knowing that even in fear, even in the darkness that I still feel for the journey ahead,

I can still expect more.

Like what is coming after this, nothing, or air or light, from all the speakers we have assembled for you all today.

Today requires, that we see fear, acknowledge its existence, and yet move past it to light.

So welcome to our annual LIGHT festival.

Our goal is to bring light even in the midst of our fears, your fears, and most importantly all of them with healing, my healing, your healing.

We bring light even as you question whether it is possible.

We bring light’s brightness, kindle, splendor, glow, fire, because this moment, past a pandemic where public health was rendered mute, requires it.

The fire we bring, all of the light, is work that cannot be done alone.

So I want to illuminate the implications of this work for you and for us all within the LIGHT team: It will be messy, it will be rough.

There will be threats to our peace, our sanity.

And fear will always be lurking around reminding us that we do not deserve this light.

All the inside pieces will frighten us, make us want to hide back in the dark.

But We cannot.

Not when our name is called LIGHT.

So this moment, meet LIGHT, just you all know the name implies.

Meet Leaders Igniting Generational Healing and Transformation.

I close in these words paraphrased from Audre Lorde, LIGHT alone will not protect us.

We are aware of this. But yet, we choose LIGHT because our field requires the public to be heard.

We choose LIGHT to clarify and to be as eloquent as possible, that the public in public health matters.

We choose LIGHT because with the advent of today, we have learnt to work and speak when we are afraid.

Even though we respected fear, we choose LIGHT because we refuse for the weight of darkness, the weight of not letting the public into public health, we refuse for the weight of their silence to keep choking us.

The fact that we are here, the fact that we meet today, is to bridge some of these differences between us,

for it is not our difference which keeps the public in the dark, it’s our silence.

And for that reason, welcome to our attempt at breaking the public’s silences for too long.

Welcome to this space we call LIGHT.

What a day! Thank you to everyone who made this year a success.