HSCommunity: Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
January 2022: Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
HSCommunity is a newsletter from the Health Sciences Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Subcommittee on Communications.
Prior to a meeting of the Medical Committee for Human Rights on March 25, 1966, in Chicago, Martin Luther King Jr. is quoted as saying:
“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman because it often results in physical death.”
Printed in the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern as part of an Associated Press story, his remarks were part of a campaign to end discrimination experienced by both patients and healthcare workers. The Medical Committee for Human Rights was initially organized as a support group for civil rights workers in Mississippi and eventually focused efforts on addressing inequality in healthcare across the nation.
As we celebrate King’s life and legacy, we are reminded of his words and our responsibilities as students and professionals studying and working in the health sciences.
Want to learn more? Watch this video about vaccine hesitancy among Black Americans stemming from mistrust of the medical system.
ENGAGE: Share your lived experiences
We recently introduced this ENGAGE section of HSCommunity as an opportunity for you to share your experiences and attitudes towards a health-related situation so we can learn and grow together.
This month we ask, “After diagnosis, a health care provider may prescribe medication(s). What factors would you consider before filling the prescription? What types of questions might you ask your pharmacist? What experiences may have led you to these decisions/questions?”
Share your responses here.
We invite you to look for the ENGAGE section of HSCommunity for future opportunities to share your lived experiences.
If you have any questions, please contact the WVU Health Sciences Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Subcommittee on Communications by emailing Jessica Wilmoth at jessica.wilmoth@hsc.wvu.edu.