For centuries, the US medical system failed to serve people of colour. They unwittingly became test subjects and their needs were ignored. Even now, studies show Black people still receive inferior treatment and are often discriminated against when getting medical care. This is the reason why a visit to the doctor seems more like a problem than a solution to them. They are suspicious of innovation as they see it as a potential threat.
Slaves didn’t have a say in determining their fate, let alone their health. Their owners knew better, and a doctor’s basic duty was to determine if an enslaved person was fit to work or not. If they weren’t, they were normally given away to the medical students for experimentation.
When nurse Sandra Lindsay became the first American to take the COVID vaccine, she said she also did it to restore faith in medicine in the Black communities, at least to some degree. Her act might have an effect, but there is still a long way until Black people will feel safe in a doctor’s office.
For a fuller history of medical injustice towards Black people go to our story.