Reply To: From Separate to Equal and The 1619 Project

[Briana_Paris]

#763

Separate to Equal:
This video was very enlightening, though sad and inspiring. As a Minnesota native whose family originated in Kansas City, it was extremely difficult, but heartening, to learn about how Drs. Unthank, Perry, and Thompson fought to change American medicine for African Americans and other minorities. Hearing their stories made me proud to be an African American pre-medical student. I am also extremely excited to start my journey in medicine as a dermatologist and public health official. One thing that spoke to me were Dr. Jabez North Jackson’s words explaining how he thought that colored men did not have the capacity to learn surgery. It baffled me that this man, a serving president of the American Medical Association, still believed African Americans were inferior to white Americans after his countless years of medical instruction. Almost 100 years later, nothing has changed; there are still doctors who believe we are intellectually and physically different that our white counterparts. His words and beliefs, that are still prevalent today, inspire me to continue to change how African Americans and other minorities are treated in medicine.

The 1619 Project:
This journal was extremely hard for me to read. I “knew” a lot of the things that were discussed, such as how slavery built Wall Street, and how racist American politicians were, but this journal went deep into America’s racist origin. Often while reading, I had to stop for a couple days because I would get so upset or mad at how America has treated us. I did enjoy how easily the writers connected core aspects of American society, such as capitalism and loopholes in laws, to slavery. I often question how states can “open up,” as Covid-19 destroys black and brown communities at an alarming rate compared to other communities, but the journal showed that what is currently happening the United States of America has been happening since the beginning.