Why Black History Month is Important to Medicine | Dr. DeShawn Taylor
DeShawn Taylor, MD, founding member of ArMA's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce, shares insight and perspective on Black History Month:
"It is important to recognize Black History in Medicine because celebrating the achievements of Black physicians in history is a necessary step in creating pathways for truth, healing, and reconciliation that the American Medical Association called for in its statement “AMA: Racism Is a Threat to Public Health,” published in 2020.1 A statement from the AMA board of trustees recognized that the disproportionately small number of Black physicians has roots in past actions of the AMA… (including) more than a century of policies that excluded Black physicians.”2 As one of the 2% of physicians in the United States who are Black women, it was life altering when I saw a Black physician for the first time as a premedical student at the university’s student health clinic. Exposing youth to Black physician achievements in medicine can change the trajectory of many young lives."
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1Kevin B. O’Reilly, “AMA: Racism Is a Threat to Public Health,” American Medical Association, November 16, 2020, https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/health-equity/ ama-racism-threat-public-health. 2AMA Board of Trustees Pledges Action against Racism, Police Brutality,” American Medical Association, press release, June 7, 2020, https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/ press-releases/ama-board-trustees-pledges-action-against-racism-police-brutality.
