On Oct. 5th 2020, our class had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Vann R. Newkirk II, a Senior Editor of The Atlantic and co-chief of Seven Scribes!

We had read Mr. Newkirk's article on environmental racism and its relationship to asthma, among other medical conditions, at:

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/02/the-trump-administration-finds-that-environmental-racism-is-real/554315/

to better understand the epidemiology (who gets a disease, and why?) of asthma.

Mr. Vann R. Newkirk not only writes about this disease, but himself has had asthma since childhood. Mr. Newkirk shared with us that he was born in one of the most polluted neighborhoods in the city of Charlotte, N.C. As a child, he told us, he was in the ER so often that the nurses always remembered his favorite snack: a combination of peanut butter, pretzels, and marshmellows!

Mr. Newkirk has written not only about his personal experiences with asthma, but also about how asthma incidence and severity is affected by different factors. He covers and edits articles as an expert in Healthcare, Environmental Racism, Politics and Racial Justice.

We were very appreciative of the opportunity not only to listen to him discuss his experiences growing up with asthma, but also to ask Mr. Newkirk questions regarding his thoughts (and ours!) on the other subjects he covers.