SPH Fat Justice Working Group Mission
The purpose of the Fat Justice Working Group is to engage students, faculty and staff of the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health (SPH) in learning, activities and advocacy to reduce weight stigma and anti-fat bias in ourselves, our School and society at large.
We are part of the SPH commitment to Social Justice, and recognize the deeply intersectional nature of this work. We imagine a future where public health is openly and firmly committed to ending discrimination and other oppression of people in larger bodies.
Our History at The SPH
This group formed in early 2022 and was instigated by Dr. Dawn Richardson, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Associate Professor, and at the time, the Associate Dean for Social Justice in our School.
The spark for the initiative came from students expressing concerns about anti-fat bias they had experienced in the School.
Fat Justice Working Group Projects
FAT JUSTICE JOURNAL CLUB
In fall 2022, students in the group organized the Fat Justice Journal Club, which held monthly meetings during the 2022-23 academic year, and is ongoing.
While students generally facilitate meetings, all members of the SPH faculty and staff are also invited to participate.
OPEN LETTER TO THE SPH
Over 60 SPH students, faculty, staff and alums signed the “Open Letter to the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Administration Advocating for Body Size Equity in the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Anti-Oppression/Discrimination Policy.”
The letter was written and distributed by members of the Working Group.
NOFATTAX PROJECT
A “fat tax” generally refers to a higher price that people in larger bodies often have to pay for clothing, compared to smaller sizes.
In response to this policy from the vendor that provides our School swag, the SPH created and funded a discount code for those buying the higher-priced larger sizes so all sizes would be similarly priced.
JOIN THE FAT JUSTICE WORKING GROUP EMAIL LIST
Interested in joining the group?
Fill out our form online to join the Fat Justice Working Group’s email listserv to receive information and the latest news on the journal club.
Signup TodayWhat We’re Discussing
Articles, journals, podcasts and more! Resources that our journal club discusses.
An Evidence-Based Rationale for Adopting Weight-Inclusive Health Policy Article
Health policies routinely emphasize weight loss as a target for health promotion. These policies rest upon the assumptions: (1) that higher body weight equals poorer health, (2) that long-term weight loss is widely achievable, and (3) that weight loss results in consistent improvements in physical health.
Body Liberation Public Health Project Website
We firmly believe that a body liberation approach makes for better public health. All bodies are deserving of liberation – autonomy, freedom, breaking the restrictive systems of oppression and discriminatory social conventions that limit and harm us.
Fat Justice Journal Club Bibliography
Thick sistahs and heavy disprivilege: Black women, intersectionality, and weight stigma
Daufin, E. (2019). Thick sistahs and heavy disprivilege: Black women, intersectionality, and weight stigma. In Thickening fat (pp. 160–170). Routledge.
A high-risk body for whom? On fat, risk, recognition and reclamation in restorying reproductive care through digital storytelling.
Friedman, M., Rice, C., & Lind, E. R. (2020). A high-risk body for whom? On fat, risk, recognition and reclamation in restorying reproductive care through digital storytelling.
The duties of the “good fatty"
Gibson, G. (2022). Health (ism) at every size: The duties of the “good fatty.” Fat Studies, 11(1), 22–35.
Does size really matter? Weight and values in public health
Jutel, A. (2001). Does size really matter? Weight and values in public health. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 44(2), 283–296.
Borderline: The ethics of fat stigma in public health
Pausé, C. (2017). Borderline: The ethics of fat stigma in public health. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 45(4), 510–517.