Final Blog Post

I had two questions back in February: Why is our current healthcare system the way, the racist way, that it is? During the Civil Rights Movement Era, were there any strides made in rectifying the inequality of our healthcare system? My first question is very broad, but I feel that we answered most of it throughout the course. From slavery to Henrietta Lacks, the exploitation of the black body has been a central theme of our healthcare system. Relying on the black body as a commodity explains why our healthcare system is racist because the historical treatment of the African American community as inferior has made a lasting impact on the way our society conducts itself. My second question was focused on the Civil Rights Movement. I am not sure why I decided to write this question down, but I did learn the answer to this question during our course. The Black Panther Party created their own clinics to help disadvantaged African Americans, and researchers took an interest in Sickle Cell Anemia in the 1960s. However, the Black Panther Party did disband, and Reagan’s “War against drugs” created a stigma for African Americans to seek treatment. Some strides were made, but most strides were reversed later on.

 I had one concern back in February and that is “The only concern I have is that I am bringing one white perspective to learning about race, society, and medicine.” My perspective was limited throughout the course, but I felt that my classmates and their perspectives helped me consider other analyses of the history. Coming into this class, I knew that minority groups faced healthcare disparities regarding diagnoses rates and access, but I did not fully understand why. This history is so complex that I know I will never fully understand it, but because of this class, I have a better understanding.

The most important thing that I learned was specifically that when slaves were freed at the end of the Civil War, nothing was done to take care of them. Troops from the Union would not even help them if they made it to the prisoner of war camps. I knew that slaves struggled after being emancipated, but to this extent, I was never taught. The most important thing that I learned in a broader sense is that these health disparities are still very much present in our current system. I knew that this was happening but not to this extent. This information is important to know because it makes me a less ignorant person with more empathy for minority groups struggling in today’s system. Being less ignorant helps society in general because it encourages everyone to be considerate of each other.

The readings that I believe were most important in shaping my evolving thinking were “Black Man in a White Coat” because it gave a perspective from an African American doctor and any reading about biopolitics because it provides the background for theory involving discrimination in the healthcare system. I also liked having the guest speakers who applied their real-life experiences to our readings, and I liked listening to Alondra Nelson and Keith Wailoo because it reminded me that real people wrote the books we read. This class reaffirmed what I have gathered from social media, newspaper articles, and prior history classes about racial disparities. I have two questions: What is being done today to rectify the inequalities in our healthcare system? What can I do to help?