The Racial Justice Initiative

A student who I interviewed recently stated, “When I was asked to recruit patients for a clinical research study, I noticed that there were no black patients included in the study. I spoke up and asked my professor about this exclusion, and as a result, they changed the direction of the study to be more representative.”

Soon after that, I encountered another student of Nigerian descent, who was told that the equipment that measures brain activity might not fit well on her scalp because of the type of thick curly hair she had. This lack of close fit might give suboptimal readings that would prevent accurate diagnosis and further treatment.

I have been practicing medicine for over 20 years. Both stories made me think, how often have I heard these stories and ignored them, how often have I stayed silent as it did not directly impact me? Being inclusive in our circles might mean asking these questions out loud. I have to also remember to be thoughtful and wise as I explore the answers. Being “disruptive“ might not always be effective.

Many of us have heard about health disparities in our society that have increasingly widened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond economic disparities, there is a genetic component that must be further explored. As I was reading an article published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine, I started to think further about the yeomen’s work that we still need to continue in scientific medical research.

As I reflect on this, it is clear that equity has to be reached before equality. There is a balance that must be achieved by careful dialogue and frank discussions. I distinctly remember educating my primary care physician, who is Caucasian, that obesity is defined differently in South Asian population. He graciously acknowledged my stance, as I pondered how many other patients might advocate for themselves?

Can we all be as brave as that student and ask the question why, or why not, in every such encounter in our lives? What actions can we take when we are confronted with inequities in our own communities? I know that education is the first step and we have so much to learn. Come join us as we learn more about such topics at our racial justice initiative.

The tragic death of George Floyd and its aftermath has jolted us from complacency regarding the evils of racism in our country. As Catholics, we are called by our faith to act to uproot this evil from ourselves, our Church and our communities.

Subsidiarity, a core principle of Catholic Social Justice, impels us to address this issue at the local level as much as possible and then work our way upwards along the chain of government. The Racial Justice Initiative has organically come into being, and we invite you to prayerfully consider joining this initiative.

The Racial Justice Initiative, whose mission is being formulated, will aim to educate ourselves about racism, its insidious past and present history, to prayerfully eradicate any known or unknown vestiges of racism from ourselves first, to educate others about this evil, and to take concrete actions guided by the principles of charity.