The University of Oregon hosted local crisis worker Ebony Morgan on Tuesday evening as the first speaker of its BE Series. She spoke about topics including structural racism and mental illness.
“Racism is a public-health crisis. Period. It is deadly,” Morgan said.
Morgan is a communications coordinator and crisis intervention worker for CAHOOTS, a local nonprofit renowned for its free, 24/7 medical and psychological assistance to those in need. She works with nonviolent individuals and uses de-escalation tactics as an alternative to police response.
The BE series invites innovative professionals to speak on relevant issues and connects students with networking opportunities, according to the Erb Memorial Union Website. The event was live-streamed on the BE series’ Instagram and Facebook pages from the Erb Memorial Union ballroom.
Morgan said her own personal experiences with mental illness and police violence drew her to a career in crisis intervention. As a child, she was diagnosed with ADHD and lost her father to the police.
She emphasized the importance of human compassion in her work. Morgan said she approaches every client from a place of understanding, something she said is often lost during police encounters.
“I took the death of my father and turned it into energy to be a part of something different,” Morgan said. “I want to know that if somebody in the community needs support, that support is available to them and it will provide care that is rooted in acknowledging their humanity.”
Since the police killing of George Floyd in May, CAHOOTS has received significant press attention and increased public support, Morgan said.
In June, CNN interviewed Morgan about her work right before their coverage of George Floyd’s funeral.“I was nervous to be on live TV,” she said. “But I wasn’t nervous about the content. I think about it all the time. Everything about my life had prepared me for that moment.”
She said the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the number of services available to Eugene’s homeless population and has disproportionately affected People of Color. Unhoused people now have fewer places to go for food and shelter, she said, which is a problem compounded by the effects of structural racism.
“The factors that influence health are not dispersed equally,” Morgan said. “Racism takes Black lives far more prematurely in many ways, including an increased risk of contracting and dying from COVID-19. And that itself is a pandemic.”
