Body and Soul ch. 3&4

This portion of Body and Soul truly opened my eyes onto the presence and impact the Black Panther party had on communities. Previously, I was taught little to none about the BPP. In high school, at a 99.5% white student body, the Black Panther Party was never mentioned in any of my history classes. Once arriving to college, I started taking classes focusing in on African-American studies and the BPP was mentioned more often. However, I had not received information at a high degree until I read Alondra Nelson's book. I am thankful that we read this in this course and I have been able to expand my knowledge on the subject. Now, onto my actual blog post.
Chapter 3 delves into the establishment of free healthcare clinics under the Black Panther party. These health facilities were built and organized at a local area which was much closer to the black community whereas the previous health facilities set forth by white men were at a greater distance to the communities and thus a lack of accessibility caused problems for the african-americans living there. I think Bobby Seale's mission of the "serve the people agenda" paid off, as we see the success doted on in the latter part of chapter 3.1  I was curious as to the way they got funding for the health facilities, how they found doctors to train, and staff to work it, but Alondra Nelson does a fine job of explaining each of these items.  Something extremely important to the success of this health care change came from the trust between patient and doctor. As we have read in The Life of Henrietta Lacks and The Tuskegee Institute, there was a lack of communication and trust between the white doctor and African-american patients. Nelson explains that "it was deemed appropriate that the appearance of the doctors, nurses, and others working with this population more closely resemble their patients than their colleagues. Patients and practitioners were supposed to "share the same values and life styles... Professionals [did] not hide behind the symbols of uniformed or authoritarian roles," observed a report on a San Francisco Bay Area free clinic."2 With this, I view a connection to the ways in which privilege is asserted or taken advantage of on a daily basis. The Invisible knapsack we viewed earlier this semester noted that a white person did not have to worry about going to the doctor and having someone that did not look like her treat her. Also, white people did not have to worry about their medical treatments being equal. Here, the Black Panther Party achieved creating an atmosphere where not only could African-Americans receive access to free healthcare, but also allowed an environment where patients could feel truly comfortable with their doctors, nurses, etc., that truly had not occurred before.

1Nelson, Alondra. Body and Soul: The Black Panther Party and the Fight against Medical Discrimination. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2011. 79.

2 Nelson, Alondra. Body and Soul: The Black Panther Party and the Fight against Medical Discrimination. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2011. 79.