Until We All Are Free

Written By Amy Heymans

We are mourning yet another senseless tragedy. Our hearts break as we witness the devastating reality of systemic racism and our sadness turns to anger and determination – what can we do to end the hatred, to achieve peace through justice 

We also look at the higher proportion of complications and death experienced by people of color during the COVID-19 crisis and consider the impact of Social Determinants on Health and the lack of health equity in the United States. These inequities manifest in inadequate pain management, maternal mortality, incidence of cardiovascular disease, and myriad other ways.

 At our annual Health Experience Design Conference we spotlight health equity and inclusion, shining a light on where we are and how far we need to go. We also focus upon social justice.

 Last year, some amazingly talented musicians from Berklee College of Music joined us to perform songs that they wrote on social justice. Two artists performed “Until We All Are Free.”

We’re the ones we are waiting for. 

Yet we are still the ones we fear. 

Vision is the art of seeing. 

None of us are free until we all are free. 

All of us are bound by the chains of one. 

Can we really say this is the land of the free? 

Nothing's gonna change until we live as one.

The song could not be more relevant. It is amazing how music can give the heart words and the mind clarity. Listen to the full song and learn more about the artists below:

Berklee Musical Students for Social Impact

Dom Jones & Brionna Stinnett: Until We All Are Free

About the Artists: 

Dom Jones 

Instagram: @iamdomjones

Dom Jones, from Oakland, CA, is a singer, songwriter, and musician. The Founder and Principal Artist at Dom Empire, she believes that her passion for music and social justice are inextricably connected, a message at the forefront of her work. An International Songwriting Competition Winner in 2014, Dom released her first album, Wingspan, that same year. The Songs For Social Change Competition has recognized her music for four years in a row (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), and Dom performed at her first festival in summer 2018 at the Boston Arts and Music Soul Festival with her band. She is a 2019 Hear Her Song composer, through The Canales Project, and her work will premiere at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. this May. Dom graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in 2019 with a dual major in Songwriting and Music Business. She has shared stages with Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Goapele, and even President Barack Obama. More about her work in music, media, and journalism can be found at http://www.iamdomjones.com.  

Brionna Stinnett 

Instagram: @brionnarazjea 

Brionna Stinnett, from Flint Michigan, is a senior at Berklee College of Music, majoring in Songwriting. She has been recognized by her peers and professors as one of the best songwriters in the department and the school, and has been an in-demand vocal arranger among her peers and bourgeoning artists in Boston. Her work can be heard through the voices of the artists with whom she works, elevating their musical vision for themselves with her writing and vocal skills. After completing her degree at Berklee, Brionna plans to pursue a career in songwriting and production.

 Please also hear from these fantastic speakers on the topics health equity, leadership, and human-centricity.

Evolving Power Dynamics & the Future of Health

Vanessa Mason, Research Director, Institute for the Future

Precision vs. Prevention: Implications for Life Sciences

Travis McCready, President & CEO, MA Life Sciences Center

Self-Care Support & Mental Health Services for Black Men

Kevin Dedner, Founder & CEO, Henry Health

We ask that you join us in considering how the decisions we make at home, at work, and in the voting booth affect the lives of many. How might we help our organizations, our teams, and the products and services we design more equitable? How might we ensure that people are treated with dignity and respect? How might our life’s work help to dismantle the racism ingrained within our larger society? How might we design for change? We know that our community of change makers will make an impact far and wide.

Amy Heymans

Amy is a humanity-centered strategist who believes purpose driven and participatory design methods can guide us to envision and enact transformational change. As the founder and CEO of Beneficent, she focuses her passion for whole health, financial wellbeing, social impact, and sustainability to help organizations to clarify their purpose, craft a bold vision, and transform their organization in the direction of that vision. Amy is a big believer in learning and the power of community and networks to drive change and so is dedicated to life-long learning, teaching, inspiring people through events, connecting people through collaborations and sharing her inspirational message of designing a better world.

Most recently, Amy served as Chief Design officer of United Healthcare, where she lead of team of 100 to help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone. Before joining United Healthcare, she co-founded Mad*Pow in 2002 and nurtured its growth for 20 years to become a leading global strategic design consultancy focused on delivering positive social impact and business outcomes. At Mad*Pow Amy served as Chief Experience Officer, executive board member and head of growth. Her board leadership includes her contribution to An Orphan’s Dream as Vice President of the board.

Her work empowering human-centered innovation with companies across the health and finance ecosystem has helped improve the experiences they deliver both inside and outside of the organization. She founded Mad*Pow's Health Experience Design Conference in 2011 with the vision of connecting a community to discuss important topics and inspiring motivation in the direction of positive change. The Center for Health Experience Design that Amy founded in 2016 served as a continuation of that objective in forging partnerships between large organizations with shared objectives and crowdsourcing innovation in exciting possibility areas.

Amy was honored to be named one of Mass High Tech's Women to watch in 2009, BBJ and MedTechBoston “40 Under 40” in 2014, PharmaVoice Magazine's "100 Most Inspiring People" in 2018, and as an "Outstanding Woman in Business" by NHBR in 2022. As a speaker, Amy shares her vision at conferences around the world and she serves as an assistant professor in Massachusetts College of Art's Masters Program for Design and Innovation Leadership.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyheymans
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