Join us this Saturday, July 23rd, from 6 to 8 PM at The Luminary to celebrate the beginning of The Black Genome Project. Led by Brett Maricque and Chelsey R. Carter, The Black Genome Project forefronts community participation and data research, medical anthropology, and artistic method to ask:⁣ ⁣ What do our genetics say about our health? And what’s next for personalized medicine?⁣ ⁣ @theluminaryarts will host a night filled with music and gathering, offering space for the community to ask the lead researchers of The Black Genome Project questions about their work and offer insight into how they want their data to be collected and represented.⁣ ⁣ The Luminary, an independent arts nonprofit dedicated to creative practitioners who contend with the pressing issues of our time, serves as a host and partner for The Black Genome Project.⁣ ⁣ Learn more about @blackgenomeproject and @theluminaryarts partnership ⁣ Although we’ve learned much about the human genome in the 21st century, Black communities have been largely left out of the research process and the conversations about it. Without building a community-centered approach to genetics research, we are likely to see unfair delivery of genetics-based personalized medicine, worsened health disparities, and poor health outcomes.⁣ ⁣ @blackgenomeproject desires to create an equitable platform to understand how genetic research is impacting Black communities in St. Louis. We are asking how Black communities value their genomes and genetic data? And how do Black communities want their genetic information used? By answering these questions, we hope to co-create a space for Black people to understand genetic diversity and evaluate, learn, and take ownership over the future of genomic medicine.⁣ ⁣ We believe that human beings are more important than their data.⁣ ⁣ I'm privileged to join forces with @blackgenomepoject on this venture, as the lead image maker. I will provide insight and storytelling to visualize the data research through photography.⁣ Much love Chelsey & Brett 🫶🏿🙏🏿🫶🏿