From left to right: Imani Shanklin Roberts, Emmanuel Afolabi, Ronald Draper, Michael Tonge, Samira Gibson, Rodney Hazard, Daniel Hibbert
This February, Oscar Health’s employee resource group for people of color, Melanin, hosted our inaugural Black History Month program, an art installation and accompanying event program entitled “Futura Noir.” Curated by Michael Tonge, Senior Marketing Manager of the Brooklyn Museum and Founder of The Culture LP, the series explored the origins, challenges, and future of Black contemporary art.
On Tuesday, February 27th, to mark the closing of the month-long installation at Oscar’s headquarters in Manhattan, Melanin hosted a panel discussion, short film screening, and vocal performance with the artists and Curator Michael Tonge. The collection served as an opportunity for Oscar employees to engage and connect with the experiences of people of color through artistic expression. Featuring the works of Patrick Eugene, Imani Shanklin Roberts, Daniel Hibbert and Michael J. McIntosh, each piece tells a deeper story of the Black experience – one that when fully constructed and appreciated, is not dissimilar from other human experiences.
At Oscar, we believe it’s imperative that organizations continue to foster progressive mindsets that challenge myopic thinking and support Diversity & Inclusion programs and initiatives. Consequently, Oscar’s commitment to diversity does just that – by continuing to integrate inclusion into Oscar’s organizational culture, our hope is to create a workspace that organically nurtures altruism and understanding. As we close out Black History Month Melanin @ Oscar looks forward to developing even more programming that deepens the human connection here at Oscar and beyond, and more importantly makes us a stronger community.
