The following information was curated by: Dr. Bridget Huysman (bio), DEIA Committee.
From February 28 to March 1 we recognize the Betsey, Lucy, and Anarcha Days of Recognition.
Lucy, Anarcha, and Betsey were three enslaved women who underwent multiple experimental surgical procedures without anesthesia under the care of James Marion Sims.
Take a moment during these days between Black History Month and Women’s History Month to recognize this vital history, as we engage in patient care daily and work to combat racism and mistreatment in medicine. Here is a link to events ACOG is hosting, including a memorial lecture on February 29th, featuring Drs. Young, Owens, Tucker-Edmonds, and Zakama!
As we recognize the Lucy, Anarcha, and Betsey Days of Recognition, it is important to reflect on the continued work we have to do to elevate Black voices and improve the Black experience within the healthcare community.
We highlight today the impact of adultification bias, which is a term used to define how Black children are viewed as older than they are and the systemic and structural racism that is experienced by Black children can push their mental, physical, and social development into adult roles before their time.
Here we highlight some of the impacts of adultification bias on Black-identifying women and girls (Source: Anti-Racism Daily):
- Black girls are 5x more likely to be suspended than White girls and 2x more likely than White boys.
- Black girls are over 3x more likely to be arrested at school than White girls.
- Black girls are at higher risk of being sex trafficked due to their increased likelihood to experience foster care and juvenile detention (a result of ongoing discrimination towards Black mothers).
- Around 80,000 missing persons reports are of Black women 20 yrs or younger.
Learn more about adultification bias at the following website and by reading the reports below Listening to Black Women and Girls and Girlhood Interrupted.
We also must consider the violence that is experienced by the Black Community. A recent study from The Lancet found that Black women are more likely to be killed by a firearm compared to White women in all regions (see study link below and related commentary).
Lastly, throughout Black History Month we have been highlighting prominent Black female physicians. Less than 3% of the physician workforce identifies as a Black female. We want to elevate the voices of the few among us.
If you weren’t able to catch the event with Dr. Uche Blackstock and Dr. Jovita Oruwari at the St. Louis County Library this month, check out the videos below on their work/books and the way they have worked to elevate the voices of Black female physicians. Be sure to read their books – Black Girls in White Coats and Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine.
Important Links
- Girlhood Interrupted
- Listening to Black Women & Girls
- Racial Inequities in Homicide Rates
- Racial inequities in homicide rates and homicide methods among black and white women
Black female voices from our OBGYN Department
Below we would like to highlight some of the phenomenal works written by Drs. Khabele (see attached and link below), Staples (see below), and Carter (see link below)!
Our Chair, Dr. Dineo Khabele, in “A Perspective on James Marion Sims, MD, and Antiblack Racism in Obstetrics and Gynecology“
A love letter to Black Birthing People from Black Birth Workers, Midwives, and Physicians*
Dr. Ebony Carter; Dr. Dineo Khabele; Yvonne Smith, MSN, RN; Antoinette Liddell, MSN, RN; Rasheda Pippens, MSN, RN; Cynthia Rogers, MD; Nancy Moore, MSN, RN, WHNP-BC; Traci Johnson, MD; and others
Stay tuned for more powerful writings on the physician experience from our department!
We would like to highlight organizations in STL and IL and STL events that support and elevate Black female voices!
Check out the Well-Read Black Girl Book Club – Upcoming book clubs are 2/26 and 3/25!
Support the work of these two organizations dedicated to empowering girls!
Mark your calendars! We hope you can join us on May 26 for the DEIA Book Club! We will be reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
