Health Hope and Hip Hop: Oya Gilbert’s Mission to Empower Communities

This episode of “Out & About with Antionette“ podcast recently featured an inspiring interview with Oya Gilbert. Known in the Delaware hip hop community as Grand G.  Oya’s story is a remarkable journey from success in music to advocating for health awareness. His journey is not just about personal struggles but highlights the systemic issues within the healthcare system and the importance of community advocacy.

A Journey Through Diagnosis and Determination Oya Gilbert’s path took an unexpected turn in December 2017, when he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer that disproportionately affects the black community. Initially misdiagnosed, his persistent health issues led him to experience firsthand the disparities prevalent in healthcare, particularly for black and brown individuals. Despite a stem cell transplant in 2018, Oya’s diagnosis became a catalyst for change, prompting him to lead support groups and empower other patients.

Understanding Multiple Myeloma To appreciate Oya’s advocacy work, it’s essential to understand multiple myeloma. As Oya explains, it’s cancer of the plasma in the bone marrow, which not only weakens bones but also attacks the kidneys. What stands out is the illness’s rarity and its twice-greater incidence rate in the black community compared to others. Oya’s personal experience with being misdiagnosed for years underscores a critical need — the awareness and understanding of this type of cancer need to be elevated, particularly within his community.

Foundation of Change: Health, Hope, and Hip Hop by 2024, Oya took his advocacy to new heights, founding the Health, Hope, and Hip Hop Foundation. The purpose? To spread awareness about various health issues affecting black and brown communities, with a strong emphasis on cancers like multiple myeloma. Oya’s foundation is a synthesis of his passion for music and the urgent need for health education and resources. It’s not just about providing information but actively changing how health messages are delivered and received within the community.

The Role of Hip Hop as a Tool for Advocacy Oya believes that hip hop, a universal cultural force, can break barriers. By creatively integrating hip hop into health education, Oya’s foundation uses music as a positive vector for spreading health literacy and advocacy. This approach aims to connect with individuals on an emotional and cultural level, making the information more relatable and engaging. His foundation isn’t solely focused on myeloma awareness; it targets various health disparities affecting African American communities.

Community Engagement: The Hip Hope Ball and Block Party Central to the foundation’s outreach efforts are events like the Hip Hope Ball and the Health, Hope, and Hip Hop Block Party. These aren’t just gatherings but platforms for community engagement where healthcare professionals, government officials, and community members can connect. The ball offers a space for dialogue and fellowship, bringing together diverse stakeholders to address healthcare disparities. The block party, planned as a One Stop Shop event, aims to overcome obstacles by providing accessible healthcare screenings and information, wrapped in a festive, trust-building atmosphere.

Empowering Through Education and Action Oya stresses the importance of education, awareness, and action in overcoming healthcare disparities. He challenges the community to move beyond historical distrust in healthcare, encouraging proactive health management and advocating for transparency and education in clinical trials. By demystifying medical processes and promoting health literacy, Oya’s foundation aims to empower individuals to take charge of their health and work collectively toward systemic change.

Oya’s journey from a hip hop artist to a health advocate highlights the transformative power of individual determination and community action. His story is an inspiring blend of personal experience and a broader ambition to foster change, using music and education as twin pillars of his mission. Through the Health, Hope, and Hip Hop Foundation, Oya is not just addressing health disparities but is planting seeds of empowerment and resilience in communities that need it most. This narrative is not just his legacy but a movement towards greater health equity and awareness, driven by the beat of hip hop.