Longtime activist Marvin “Doc” Cheatham has been speaking about the health crisis facing Baltimore’s black community, led by rising rates of childhood obesity, HIV/AIDS and heart disease.

Yesterday he addressed a health symposium sponsored by the Baltimore Branch of the NAACP at Druid Hill Baptist Church.

In an interview with Bill Hughes, the former NAACP branch president – who is Baltimore president of Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network – said the leadership in the city’s Health and Housing departments “needs to go” because “they are not connected to us; they don’t understand the tragedy of our community.”

He said parents need to become more vigilant in providing fresh fruits and vegetables for their children and making sure they get enough exercise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ohY2JTcnu8

Cheatham refers to the 2010 Health Disparities Report Card, which painted a dismal picture of differences by race and socioeconomic status in 29 of 30 health area assessed. The report can be downloaded through this site.