From left: Moderator Jenna Flanagan, Dr. Uche Blackstock, and Dr. Aletha Maybank, seated on stage through the digital occasion, celebrating Dr. Blackstock’s e-book Legacy, hosted by the Brooklyn Public LIbrary’s Heart for Brooklyn Historical past (BPL-CBH) on April 10, 2024.
Picture by Milette Millington
On April 10, in a digital dialog moderated by journalist Jenna Flanagan, Dr. Uche (pronounced oo-chay) Blackstock, mentioned her e-book, Legacy: A Black Doctor Reckons with Racism in Medication (2024), which highlights the problems within the U.S. healthcare system and the way they have an effect on the Black neighborhood, in addition to how one can repair them.
The dialog was hosted by the Brooklyn Public Library’s Heart for Brooklyn Historical past (BPL-CBH). Dr. Aletha Maybank, who’s the chief well being fairness officer and vice chairman of the American Medical Affiliation (AMA), was additionally a part of the dialog.
Blackstock, who can also be the founder and CEO of Advancing Well being Fairness, shared why she determined to put in writing the e-book, saying that she wished to assist everybody perceive why the statistics on Black well being are so disturbing.
“It’s not as a result of there’s something intrinsically mistaken with us, however that there’s something very intrinsically mistaken with the social establishments on this nation, which are embedded with racism, that primarily stop us from dwelling lengthy full lives and people are lives that we need to be full of affection, birthday events, graduations, retirement events… we deserve all of that,” she mentioned.
She additionally emphasised that regardless of advances in innovation, expertise, and analysis we nonetheless see a worse life expectancy for Black Individuals and different Individuals of colour, in addition to worse maternal mortality and toddler mortality charges.
Blackstock needs everybody to grasp that, “so that folks don’t make assumptions about there being one thing genetically or biologically inferior about us, as a result of that’s the simple takeaway from lots of the headlines that we see within the information. Even well being professionals internalize and consider in it.”
Dr. Maybank, who’s of Antiguan descent and the chief well being fairness officer and vice chairman of the American Medical Affiliation (AMA), spoke concerning the patterns she has seen all through her profession.
She emphasised that the narrative about Black and brown folks being inferior, and never being sensible sufficient, haven’t modified, and the methods which are used with a view to oppress and hold folks down have additionally not modified.
“I feel we’re really in a time the place we’re in a position to speak about it in a distinct sort of manner. I’m not saying we don’t get pushed again, however I feel COVID-19 uncovered rather a lot and supplied this chance for folks to speak about inequities extra. Additionally, the general public homicide of George Floyd, I feel, actually propelled this dialog round racism extra explicitly,” she acknowledged.
She added that though it is probably not comfy for folks, that is what we cope with in our surroundings, and it’s essential that folks manage to struggle in opposition to racism and never let it proceed taking place every day.
Those that have an interest should purchase the e-book right here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/705871/legacy-by-uche-blackstock-md/
To remain up to date on future BPL-CBH occasions, those that have an interest can subscribe to the e-newsletter, which might be discovered right here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/enewsletter.
