MISTREATMENT ENDURED BY THE
BLACK COMMUNITY AT THE HANDS OF
THE GOVERNMENT, HER DECISION WAS
NOT MADE LIGHTLY.
DR. STANFORD JOINS ME NOW.
ALSO WITH ME, DR. DOROTHY
ROBERTS, DIRECTOR OF UNIVERSITY
OF PENNSYLVANIA PROGRAM ON RACE,
SCIENCE AND SOCIETY, PROFESSOR
OF LAW AND SOCIOLOGY AND
AFRICANA STUDIES, AUTHOR OF MANY
BOOKS, INCLUDING "KILLING THE
BLACK BODY."
ANOTHER GREAT FRIEND OF THE
SHOW.
THANK YOU TO BOTH OF YOU.
DR. STANFORD, YOU MADE THE
DECISION.
YOU AND I TALKED A LOT ABOUT
THIS.
YOU MADE THE DECISION LAST
WEEKEND TO GET THIS.
AND YOU TOLD ME YOU ARE A
SCIENTIST, A DOCTOR, YOU KNOW IT
IS THE RIGHT DECISION, YET IT
WAS A HIGHLY EMOTIONAL DECISION
FOR YOU AND IT IS NOT ONE YOU
TOOK LIGHTLY.
WASN’T OBVIOUS TO YOU YOU WERE
GOING TO GET THE VACCINE.
TELL ME ABOUT THAT.
>> THAT’S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, I’M A BLACK
WOMAN.
I WAS LONG BEFORE I BECAME A
PHYSICIAN.
I GREW UP FEELING CERTAIN ANGST
ABOUT THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
MUCH OF THAT WAS MITIGATED AS I
BECAME A PHYSICIAN.
THAT WAS IN THE BACK OF MY MIND.
ONCE I HAD THE ANTIBODIES,
SCIENTIFICALLY I PLANNED TO
FOLLOW IT WITH MY DOCTOR AND
CHECK EVERY FOUR WEEKS.
I QUICKLY REALIZED THAT THAT WAS
NOT SOMETHING THAT MOST
AMERICANS COULD DO, CERTAINLY
NOT MOST AFRICAN AMERICANS.
AND PEOPLE POIGNANTLY SAID WHEN
YOU TELL ME IT IS OKAY, DR.
STANFORD, I WILL TAKE IT, I WILL
ROLL UP MY SLEEVE.
I WAS CONCERNED THAT BY NOT I
WOULD BE LEANING INTO FEARS THAT
PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE THAT I WAS
SAYING IT WASN’T SAFE.
SO TO ALLEVIATE ALL OF THAT, I
RECEIVED THE VACCINE WEDNESDAY.
>> HOW YOU FEELING?
>> I FEEL GOOD TODAY, THANK YOU
FOR ASKING.
YOU KNOW, MY ARM WAS SORE AND
THE FOLLOW-UP DAY I FELT LIKE
ALL OF THE ENERGY HAD BEEN
ZAPPED FROM MY BODY.
I LITERALLY SALTT IN A CHAIR ABO
12 HOURS, THE EXACT SAME CHAIR.
WHEN I TALKED TO SOME OF MY
FRIENDS IN THE BLACK DOCTORS
CONSORTIUM, OF 16 OF US THAT
RECEIVED IT WEDNESDAY, THE
REMAINDER GOT IT TOMORROW, HALF
OF US HAD THAT HEADACHE, ACHY,
MALAISE, AND THE OTHER HALF SAID
I FELT NOTHING.
BUT I THINK EMOTIONALLY I FELT A
SENSE OF RELIEF, I FELT A SENSE
OF HOPE, OF BETTER DAYS, AND I
DON’T WANT ANYONE TO THINK I
HAVE FOR GOTTEN.
IT IS HARD TO WATCH THOSE
SCENES.
WE HAVE TO USE THAT INFORMATION
AS POWER, POWER TO SAY IT WILL
NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN IN MY
LIFETIME AND NOT LET US IMPEDE
IT FROM GETTING THE TREATMENT
THAT WE NEED NOW BECAUSE IT IS
KILLING AFRICAN AMERICANS MORE
THAN ANY OTHER GROUP IN THIS
COUNTRY.
>> PROFESSOR ROBERTS, LAST
WEEKEND DR. STANFORD AND I
PARTICIPATED IN A FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM CHAT WITH A LOT OF
BLACK PEOPLE WHO HAD QUESTIONS,
REAL FEARS AND QUESTIONS ABOUT
THE VACCINE.
YOU’VE DONE EXTENSIVE RESEARCH
INTO BIO ETHICS AND THE DEEPLY
RACIST HISTORY OF MEDICAL
RESEARCH IN THE UNITED STATES.
YOU SHED A LOT OF LIGHT ON THIS
ISSUE.
DO YOU THINK THESE EFFORTS, THE
EFFORTS OF DR. STANFORD AND
OTHER VISIBLE BLACK MEDICAL
PROFESSIONALS BOTH ADMINISTERING
THE VACCINE AND GETTING THE
VACCINE THAT WE HAVE SEEN SO
MUCH OF IN THE LAST WEEK, DO YOU
THINK THAT’S GOING TO CUT
THROUGH THE REMARKABLY VIS RAL
EMOTIONS THAT SURROUND THIS
ISSUE?
>> I THINK IT IS A BIG HELP.
AS DR. STANFORD SAID, MANY BLACK
PEOPLE ARE RELYING ON BLACK
PHYSICIANS TO GIVE THEM
CONFIDENCE THAT THIS VACCINE
WORKS AND IS SAFE.
I ALSO THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO
EMPHASIZE BLACK PEOPLE SUSPICION
OF MEDICINE IS NOT ONLY ROOTED
IN A PAST CHAPTER OF U.S.
HISTORY, IT’S ALSO ROOTED IN
EXPERIENCES THAT THEY HAVE TODAY
AND EVIDENCE TODAY THAT RAISES
AND CONTINUES IN MEDICINE.
WE CAN’T JUST FRAME THIS AS A
PROBLEM OF CONVINCING BLACK
PEOPLE TO TRUST MEDICINE AND
FORGET ABOUT A FOREGONE PAST.
WE ALSO HAVE TO CONTINUALLY WORK
TO MAKE MEDICINE TODAY
ANTI-RACIST AND TO WEED OUT THE
MANY, MANY PRACTICES IN MEDICINE
THAT DENY ACCESS TO BLACK
PATIENTS, THAT TREAT BLACK
PATIENTS DIFFERENTLY.
YOU KNOW, SOME ARE EMBEDDED IN
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES THAT EITHER
ARE BASED ON A WHITE STANDARD
THAT LEAVE BLACK PEOPLE OUT OR
ADJUST FOR BLACK PEOPLE AS IF WE
ARE A DIFFERENT FORM OF HUMAN
BEING.
THESE ARE GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
BLACK PEOPLE HAVE THIS
EXPERIENCE RIGHT NOW AND THAT
ALSO HAS TO BE ADDRESSED.
IN OTHER WORDS, WE’RE NOT JUST
ADDRESSING A FOREGONE CHAPTER OF
U.S. HISTORY, WE HAVE TO ADDRESS
RACISM IN MEDICINE SO THEY
DESERVE THE TRUST OF BLACK
PEOPLE.
>> YOU DIVIDE THIS
INTERESTINGLY.
THE STUFF WE TALKED ABOUT,
TUSKEGEE, NORTH CAROLINA,
EUGENICS, STERILIZATION, THAT’S
STRAIGHT UP OLD FASHIONED
RACISM.
YOU ALSO TALK ABOUT THIS
STRUCTURAL INEQUALITY THAT
LEAVES PEOPLE OF COLOR IN YOUR
WORDS ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO
BAD HEALTH BECAUSE OF THE WAY IN
WHICH OUR SOCIETY IS STRUCTURED
TO PUT THEM IN LESS HEALTHY
CONDITION.
IT IS LESS OBVIOUSLY RACIST, BUT
MORE OBVIOUSLY SOCIALLY UNEQUAL.
>> YES.
YOU POINT OUT SOME PRACTICES OF
UNCONSENTED TO STERILIZATION ARE
GOING ON NOW IN THE UNITED
STATES.
THERE WAS A REVELATION ABOUT IT
HAPPENING TO BLACK AND BROWN
WOMEN IN AN I.C.E. DETENTION
CENTER.
A REVELATION ABOUT IT HAPPENING
IN CALIFORNIA STATE PRISONS, BUT
TO THE POINT YOU’RE MAKING NOW
STRUCTURAL RACISM, THE WAY IN
WHICH OUR SOCIETY IS STRUCTURED
IN TERMS OF SEGREGATED
RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS IN
TERMS OF LACK OF ACCESS TO HIGH
QUALITY HEALTH CARE OR FOOD IN
TERMS OF POLICE VIOLENCE AND
INCARCERATION IN BLACK
NEIGHBORHOODS, ALL THESE ARE
STRUCTURAL FACTORS THAT EXPLAIN
WHY BLACK PEOPLE ARE TWO TO
THREE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DIE
FROM COVID IN THE FIRST PLACE.
ALL OF THIS IS CONNECTED.
WE HAVE TO BE CONCERNED NOT ONLY
ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE BEING
SUSPICIOUS.
WE MIGHT BE EXCLUDED FROM
GETTING THE VACCINE BECAUSE OF
DIFFERENT PRIORITIES OF WHO GETS
ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE.