By Alia Richardson, Jasmine Rios, Luis Rosario, and Hecong Qin
On May 9th, 2024, the Identity and Inclusion (i2i) Steering Committee and Office of Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (HEDI) hosted the 4th Annual Anti-Racism Reading Program for the first-year medical school class. This year, students were assigned to read Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine by Uché Blackstock, MD.
Organized by second-year i2i class representatives Alia Richardson, Jasmine Rios, Luis Rosario, and Hecong Qin, the event began with a question and answer session with Dr. Blackstock, followed by small group discussions guided by upperclassmen student facilitators and faculty.
Dr. Blackstock shared reflections with the first-year class on practicing self-care while advocating for others, her experience working with various institutions on anti-racism training, and advice she would give her younger self. The Q&A session concluded with a call to action for students as future leaders to continue to engage in conversations about improving medicine and striving toward equity.
One first-year student shared, “I really appreciated Dr. Blackstone taking the time to talk with us! Her book was really impactful on me and has prompted me to think more seriously and concretely about how I will advocate for my Black patients and peers in medicine.”
Small group discussions enabled dialogue about personal experiences with racism in medicine and robust discussion of their key takeaways from the book. Students engaged with questions such as “How has medicine historically perpetuated racism and inequity?” and “Which action items to dismantle racism in medicine outlined in Dr. Blackstock’s book most resonated with you?”