Jeremy Mosely is Associate Vice President of the FaithHealth Division. He directs the Community Engagement Department and provides leadership to Faith Community Health Ministry. Jeremy joined the organization on September 26, 2011. The focus of his job is coordinating enterprise social impact and health equity work and programs, supporting Community Health, Population Health, and Diversity Equity and Inclusion initiatives, and providing leadership to the FaithHealth Division.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
For me, I celebrate black history every day. I have an incessant passion for learning more about Black history and African history. This seed was planted by my mother who was also my fourth-grade teacher. She gave me countless Black history books and autobiographies to read. And, like she did with many of her students, she asked me to memorize poems and songs that were illustrative of our history. This is a reminder of the contributions that we have made in the U.S. and the world, and it is also a reminder of my upbringing, teachings, and everyday thirst for knowledge of our history here and abroad.
Black History Month was created to focus attention on the contributions of African Americans to the United States. Who is a leader that inspires you and why?
There are so many, but I would say that one is Frederick Douglass. “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” is one my favorite books, if not my favorite. He was born into slavery, barely knew his mother, and didn’t know his father. He taught himself how to read and write and became one of the greatest orators of his time. He educated other slaves, physically fought back against his slave master, and escaped from slavery. That alone is enough to inspire me. But he also went on to embrace the women's rights movement, helped people on the Underground Railroad, and supported anti-slavery political parties. He worked tirelessly to make sure that emancipation and equal citizenship would be outcomes of the Civil War. He was one of the early fighters for social justice and equity.
At Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, we create a space where ALL Belong. How do you see Wake Forest Baptist fostering an environment where ALL Belong?
I see the Affinity Groups, Inclusion Chairs, Racial Equity Task Force, Staff Council, and many other DEI-related efforts as examples of the culture change that is beginning to create that space.