>>> WELCOME BACK TO
"POLITICSNATION."
THE PANDEMIC HAS PUT A SPOTLIGHT
ON PHYSICIANS OF COLOR,
PARTICULAR AFRICAN-AMERICAN
DOCTORS, WHO THIS YEAR WATCHED
AS COVID-19 DISPROPORTIONATELY
RAVAGED BLACK COMMUNITIES.
IN A COMBINATION OF FACTORS,
INCLUDING CULTURAL TRAUMA LED TO
GAP IN VACCINE DISTRIBUTION THAT
PUBLIC HEALTH WORKERS ARE STILL
TRYING TO CLOSE.
IN ADDITION TO ALL OF THAT,
BLACK DOCTORS MUST STILL CONTEND
WITH THE NATIONS ORIGINAL
PLAGUE, RACISM, IN THIS CASE,
THE ONLY ONE MEDICAL FIELD
ITSELF.
AND FOR THAT, THERE IS NO PROVEN
CURE.
JOINING ME NOW FROM ILLINOIS,
TWIN SISTERS, PSYCHIATRIST
DR. BRANDY JACKSON, AND INTERNAL
MEDICINE DOCTOR, BRITTANY JAMES.
DOCTORS, I WANT TO START WITH
YOUR SHARED EXPERIENCE.
I DONT KNOW ITS FULLY
APPRECIATED THAT BLACK
PHYSICIANS FACE CHALLENGES THAT
COMPOUND AN ALREADY DIFFICULT
JOB, WHETHER ITS RACIST
PATIENTS WHO DONT BELIEVE YOU
ARE ACTUALLY THE DOCTOR, OR
ADMINISTRATIONS THAT DONT
ALWAYS CARE.
TO THAT END, YOUVE CERTAINLY
FOUNDED THE INSTITUTE OF
ANTI-RACISM IN MEDICINE, WHICH
HAS A UNIQUE APPROACH TO
EDUCATING PHYSICIANS ABOUT
INSTITUTIONAL RACISM IN YOUR
INDUSTRY.
WHAT DOES THAT EDUCATION ENTAIL,
AND WHAT LED TO ITS CREATION?
DR. JAMES, YOU FIRST.
>> FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR HAVING US.
I WILL SAY, YOU KNOW, WITH THE
PANDEMIC, ITS LIKE SOMETHING
FINALLY SNAPPED.
YOU KNOW, WHAT THE WORLD IS
BECOMING AWARE OF, WHICH IS
PROFOUND DISPARITIES ACROSS
RACIAL LINES IN JUST ABOUT EVERY
DIMENSION, THE THING FOR AMERICA
WAS COVID.
FOR ME, IT WAS WORKING ON THE
SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO TREATING
MY PATIENTS WHO ARE 100% BLACK,
SEEING DISPARITIES --
DIFFERENCES IN THEIR HEALTH
OUTCOMES, DIABETES, HIGH BLOOD
PRESSURE, MATERNAL AND INFANT
MORTALITY, CANCER, EVERY SINGLE
MAJOR CHRONIC DISEASE IS WORSE
FOR BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE, AND
I THINK IT TOOK THIS PANDEMIC TO
REALLY, WHAT I SAY RADICALIZE
ME, THE ANSWER IS NOT IN OUR
INSTITUTION OR MEDICINE.
WE HAVE TO BUILD SOMETHING
BRAND-NEW AND ENVISION A NEW
TYPE OF WAY TO DELIVER HEALTH
CARE, AND THAT STARTS WITH
EDUCATING DOCTORS AND HEALTH
CARE PROVIDERS WHO COTTON
UNDERSTAND THE REALITY OF WHAT
IT MEANS TO BE BLACK IN THIS
COUNTRY TO GET HEALTH CARE.
>> AS A PSYCHIATRIST,
DR. JACKSON, WEVE SEEN A MOVE
FROM SOME PUBLIC HEALTH GROUPS
LIKE THE AMERICAN MEDICAL
ASSOCIATION RECENTLY TO APPROACH
RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH RISK.
AND IVE READ WHERE YOU BROKE
DOWN CRYING IN A CLASS YOU WERE
TEACHING OVER THE MURDER OF
GEORGE FLOYD LAST YEAR.
WE TALK A LOT ON THIS SHOW ABOUT
HEALTH EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL
RACISM, WHERE TANGIBLE THINGS
LIKE AIR POLLUTION AND TOXIC
WASTE MAKE BLACK PEOPLE SICK.
BUT WHAT ABOUT INTANGIBLES, LIKE
BEING BOMBARDED BY THE IMAGES OF
POLICE KILLINGS OF BLACK
AMERICANS?
WHAT DOES THAT DO TO THE MIND,
AND, FROM THAT, THE BODY?
>> THE EFFECT ON THE MIND SEEING
MURDER IN REAL TIME, THIS IS
HITTING HOME.
ITS INCALCULABLE.
I WANT TO MAKE A BIG, POSITIVE
STEP IN CALLING OUT SUPPRESSION.
I TRUST THAT THE INTENTION IS
THERE, BUT, OF COURSE, ITS
ACCOUNTABILITY.
WELL BE THERE FOR THE
ACCOUNTABILITY PIECE BECAUSE
THATS VERY, VERY CRITICAL.
>> YOU KNOW, ONE OF MY
PRODUCERS, D EJA, FLAGGED THIS
STORY THAT BLEW MY MIND THIS
MORNING.
FLORIDA SECRETARY OF HEALTH
REVEALED THIS WEEK THAT NEARLY
40% OF WHITE FLORIDA RESIDENTS
HAVE BEEN VACCINATED COMPARED
WITH ONLY 20% OF BLACK
RESIDENTS.
BUT WHATS BRUTAL TO EVEN THINK
ABOUT IS ONLY 7% OF THE TOTAL
VACCINATED POPULATION IS BLACK.
THATS ABOUT 658,000 PEOPLE OUT
OF ROUGHLY 9 MILLION.
YOUR THOUGHTS?
FIRST DR. JAMES.
>> THIS IS SO TELLING.
OFTENTIMES WE TALK ABOUT THIS
GREAT RECOVERY THAT HAPPENING
FROM COVID.
WERE LARGELY LEAVING OUT BLACK
AND BROWN PEOPLE.
WHAT WERE TALKING ABOUT IS THAT
WHITE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
GET ACCESS, HAVE BEEN ABLE TO,
ESPECIALLY IF THEYRE NOT IN A
RURAL AREA HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
HAVE THAT ACCESS.
WE LOOK AT PLACES LIKE
CALIFORNIA, THOUGH, W.H.O.
GOTTEN THEIR RATES DOWN TO 1%.
THEYVE GONE TO THE MOST
VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES, COMING
UP WITH INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES TO
GET THE VACCINES INTO BLACK AND
BROWN COMMUNITIES AND
UNFORTUNATELY WE HAVENT SEEN
THAT NATIONALLY TO THE SAME
DEGREE.
AND SO WERE GETTING NUMBERS
LIKE THIS.
I THINK ITS IMPORTANT THAT IF
WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW TO COME
OUT OF THIS PANDEMIC, WE CANT
LEAVE BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE
BEHIND.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WERE
FOCUSING IN ON THOSE NUMBERS TO
UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF
WORK TO DO AND A LONG WAY TO GO
THE BEFORE ITS NORMAL FOR OUR
COMMUNITIES. >> EVEN IN A PANDEMIC, TO SEE
>> EVEN IN A PANDEMIC, TO SEE
THIS RACIAL DIVIDE WHEN EVERYONE
SHOULDVE BEEN EQUALLY ALARMED
AND EQUALLY CONCERNED, AS MANY
OF US, IF NOT MOST OF US SAW
LOVED ONES IMPACTED BY THIS,
DR. JACKSON.
BUT EVEN IN A PANDEMIC WE SEE
THIS RACIAL DIVIDE?
>> YOU KNOW, IT REALLY DOES
BOGGLE THE MIND, BUT I HAVE TO
SAY AS A STUDENT OF HUMAN
HISTORY, I THINK IF WE DONT
FIGHT VERY ACTIVELY AGAINST IT,
THERE IS A TENDENCY TO GROUP OFF
AND LOOK FOR THOSE WHO YOU
IDENTIFY AS YOUR CIRCLE.
I THINK ITS TIME TO MOVE PAST
THAT.
I THINK THE INSTITUTE OF
ANTI-RACISM IN MEDICINE, WE
FOCUS ON RESTORATIVE JUSTICE, WE
FOCUS ON HEALING BECAUSE WE ARE
HEALERS.
THIS IS FOR THE SOUL OF
MEDICINE.
WERE HERE TO TELL THE TRUTH.
>> YOU KNOW, DR. JAMES, WE TELL
OUR PEOPLE, OUR YOUNGSTERS, GO
TO SCHOOL, BE SOMEBODY, BE A
DOCTOR, AND THEN THEY FACE THE
RACIAL BARRIERS THAT YOU AND
YOUR TWIN SISTER HAVE FACED TO
EVEN PRACTICE THERE.
ASK I DONT THINK MANY WHITE
AMERICANS UNDERSTAND THAT EVEN
THOUGH WE TRY TO PUT THOSE
PRINCIPLES AND THAT AMBITION IN
OUR KIDS, WE HAVE TO HAVE THE
CONVERSATION, BUT YOURE GOING
TO HAVE TO GO ACROSS HURDLES
THAT OTHERS IN YOUR PROFESSION
WONT HAVE TO FACE.
>> ITS ABSOLUTELY TRUE.
YOU KNOW, IVE BEEN -- SO MANY
TIMES, YOU KNOW, QUESTIONED TO
BE CLEANING STAFF, HOUSE STAFF,
AND THERES NOTHING WRONG WITH
THAT, BUT IM A PHYSICIAN, AND
PEOPLE CANT BRING THEMSELVES TO
ENVISION THAT THATS TRUE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK IF YOURE
JUST FOCUSING THAT, EVEN THAT
PALES IN COMPARISON TO THE
RACISM, THE SYSTEMIC RACISM JUST
TO SURVIVE MEDICAL EDUCATION
THAT IT BRINGS ABOUT, THE TRAUMA
OF BEING TAUGHT BY PROFESSORS
THAT BLACK AND BROWN BODIES ARE
INHERENTLY DISEASED, THAT
THERES SOMETHING WRONG WITH US,
IF THAT IF WERE SICK, ITS OUR
OWN DOING BECAUSE WE DIDNT WORK
HARD ENOUGH.
AND THEN YOU SEE THIS, YOU KNOW,
EVEN IN GETTING PROMOTED IN RANK
IN ACADEMIC MEDICINE AND GETTING
RESEARCH GRANTS, THE RACIAL
OPPRESSION IS THROUGHOUT, AND IT
DOESNT STOP WHEN YOU GET YOUR
M.D.
AND I THINK IF PEOPLE UNDERSTOOD
THAT, THEY WOULDNT BE SURPRISED
TO KNOW THAT I DONT
PARTICULARLY THINK THAT WERE
UNIQUE OR PARTICULARLY SPECIAL.
IN FACT, MANY OF MY PATIENTS ON
THE SOUTH SIDE ARE ABSOLUTELY
BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT.
AND THEY DONT GET THE SAME
CHANCE TO BE PHYSICIANS BECAUSE
THE WORLD DOESNT THINK THAT
THEYRE VALUABLE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WERE NOT THAT
DIFFERENT.
BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS OUR
SURVIVAL HAS BEEN IN A HOSTILE
SYSTEM, JUST LIKE MANY BLACK AND
BROWN PEOPLE DO.
>> ILL HAVE TO LEAVE IT THERE.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR ALL THAT YOU
DO.
I HAVE THIS FEELING THAT WE WILL
SEE YOU AGAIN ON
"POLITICSNATION."
>>> UP NEXT, NOW THAT
REPUBLICANS HAVE SHOWN LIZ
CHENEY THE DOOR, WHAT DOES THE
FUTURE LOOK LIKE FOR THE GOP?
WELL COVER THAT IN THE REST OF