Black Bodies, Black Health wins Anthem Award for Health Awareness Book/Feature!

Today, the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS) announced the winners of the 4th Annual Anthem Awards, the largest and most comprehensive social impact award, presented by the Webby Awards.

We are thrilled to share the news that our book, Black Bodies, Black Health (a visual archive chronicling our 18-month research project supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), was honored with an Anthem Award in the Health Awareness Book, Story, or Feature category!  This is the second award for this book, which previously won the Award of Distinction in the Educational Institution Print Content category at the 30th Annual Communicator Awards.

The Black Bodies, Black Health research project at the ISGRJ gave our Institute an early opportunity to stretch our muscles and capacities for bringing researchers from across Rutgers University together from diverse fields of knowledge while maintaining a humanistic approach and frame. This accomplishment reflects the talent and hard work of all of the Rutgers faculty and staff involved in the Black Bodies, Black Health project. Special thanks to Tania Bentley, our Director of Marketing and Communications, who led and oversaw the design and intellectual conception of this double award-winning book.

This year’s Anthem Award Winners were selected from over 2,300 submissions from 34 countries by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS). Anthem Award judges are intellectually diverse leaders from across the impact industry with expertise that spans the Anthem cause areas, including Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion; Education, Art, & Culture; Health; Human & Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action & Services; Responsible Technology; and Sustainability, Environment, & Climate.

Launched in 2021, the Anthem Awards celebrate the purpose and mission-driven work of the individuals, companies, and organizations making a difference worldwide. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, the Anthem Awards aim to inspire everyone to take action in their community. The awards were founded by The Webby Awards in partnership with the Ad Council, Born This Way Foundation, Feeding America, GLAAD, Mozilla, NAACP, NRDC, WWF, and XQ.

Please see links to two of the BBBH project's publications—the e-book focused on the research and events we sponsored which won the award; and a newsletter focused on the Rutgers researchers who participated.

With special thanks to The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Claire Gibbons, President Jonathan Holloway, Prabhas Moghe, Brian Strom, Denise Richards, Black Bodies, Black Health project leads Michelle Stephens and Enobong (Anna) Branch, The Black Bodies, Black Health Steering Committee, seed grantees and researchers, and the ISGRJ staff for supporting and contributing to this impactful and transformative work in disrupting racial health disparities to imagine a just racial future.

Watch the highlight video from the Black Bodies, Black Health research project below: