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What if the biggest health issues in our communities have less to do with doctors and hospitals—and more to do with wages, housing, food, policing, climate, and political power?
Today, I’m joined by Nicholas Freudenberg, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Public Health at the City University of New York and one of the most influential voices in urban public health over the past half century.
For decades, Nicholas has worked at the intersection of public health and social change, tackling issues ranging from childhood lead poisoning and AIDS prevention to food policy, mass incarceration, and community organizing. He founded CUNY’s Urban Food Policy Institute and the Hunter College Center on AIDS, Drugs and Community Health, and led Healthy CUNY, a university-wide initiative focused on student health and academic success.
His newest book, Fighting for New York: Activism for Health and Social Justice Since the 1960s, examines six decades of movements that fought to make New York healthier, fairer, and more democratic.
In this conversation, Nicholas explains why health is ultimately a question of power and social conditions, and how some of the most important improvements in public health came not from traditional healthcare systems, but from ordinary people organizing and demanding change.
We explore the lessons behind movements including the Young Lords’ fight against lead poisoning and tuberculosis, ACT UP’s response to the AIDS crisis, Fight for $15, Housing Justice for All, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, and campaigns surrounding Rikers Island.
Most importantly, Nicholas shares what these movements teach us about building coalitions, choosing effective tactics, working with—or confronting—government, balancing incremental victories with transformative goals, and staying committed when change feels impossible.
In This Episode, We Explore:
- Why everything is a health issue, from housing and wages to climate and criminal justice
- What six decades of New York activism reveal about how social change actually happens
- The hidden lessons connecting movements like the Young Lords, ACT UP, and Fight for $15
- Why successful movements build political power rather than simply raise awareness
- How activists can build coalitions across race, class, identity, and different causes
- The tension between incremental progress and transformative change
- When movements should work with government—and when they need to confront it
- The structural forces that have repeatedly pushed back against social movements
- What activist campaigns tend to get wrong
- Why some seemingly impossible changes eventually become reality
- How movements can avoid becoming trapped in isolated issue silos
- Why playing the long game is essential for lasting social change
- What today’s activists can learn from past victories and failures
- How ordinary citizens can turn frustration into meaningful action
- Why history provides a powerful antidote to political hopelessness
- What a modern health justice alliance could look like
Whether you’re interested in public health, activism, housing, labor, environmental justice, criminal justice, urban policy, or simply want to understand how meaningful change is actually created, Nicholas brings decades of scholarship and firsthand experience to a conversation about power, persistence, and the possibility of building a healthier and more equitable society.
Learn More
📖 Get Fighting for New York https://cup.columbia.edu/book/fighting-for-new-york/9780231221405/
Use code CUP20 at checkout for 20% off the book.
🌐 CUNY Faculty Profile: https://sph.cuny.edu/about/people/faculty/nicholas-freudenberg/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-freudenberg-07796187/
🐦 X: https://x.com/cunyurbanfood
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cunyurbanfoodpolicy
