Moving From the National Negro Health Week to the National Public Health Week in the United States

There has been relatively little published on National Negro Health Week, and what has been published has often focused on physicians, nurses, or women. This article offers a brief but comprehensive overview of the organization and health emphases of nonmedical African American leaders on issues of health and explains how health concepts made their way to ordinary African Americans. In addition, in this article, I argue that the current National Public Health Week campaign might be best seen as a metamorphosis of National Negro Health Week because they share many similarities in practice and direction. The article’s main message is that the United States has a long history of a “National Health Week”; that these Weeks support the interests of subjugated groups by race, ethnicity, or class; and that these Weeks have worked to empower these groups by providing them with basic health knowledge to improve their health without needing to consult a physician.