environment that had nothing to do with the melanin,” she offered.
Akira decided to make peace with the childhood trauma.“ I think that’ s what has allowed me to understand that it wasn’ t the children alone. They were a product of their environment. And becoming more aware of the problems in in our neighborhoods, that has also helped because I feel like if you don’ t question anything, and you just move on through life, you don’ t resolve trauma within.”
Many different kinds of life experiences have shaped Akira in her journey in the field of medicine.“ Oh, wow, I mean, there’ s been so many,” she noted.“ A major one that basically veered me in the direction of medicine was just growing up with my mother having suffered an accident that left her disabled and having to find treatment in our neighborhood and how difficult that was for her. And later in years, me trying to find treatment outside of our neighborhood and how challenging that could also be with limited access to care, and limited medical insurance. That really made me see the need for physicians of color in neighborhoods that are underserved. That, coupled with my love for science.”
The family exodus from the Dominican Republic to life in the South Bronx was the prototypical American immigrant story.“ My mother was the first to come and she was brought here by her sister. Initially, she was undocumented. Then you she was able to get her green card.” Regarding the issue of disparities during the time that the family was adjusting to American life, she said,“ The barrier is a disparity of skin color in this country to receive quality care. Research has shown that as a female of color, we’ re worse off than anyone, regardless of socioeconomic status. Not just speaking the language, it’ s also being an immigrant. It’ s multiple levels of disparity,” she described ruefully.
What type of microaggressions has Akira experienced as an Afro Latina woman?“ Oh, I’ ve had people tell me,‘ You speak so eloquently’. What, like actual English correctly? Like that?” Also, about my hair. My hair because of my mixture is very versatile. I can wear it straight, or I can wear it curly. There’ s always questions about my hair,” she said.
Akira chose medicine for a fundamental reason why many people pursue the profession.“ There’ s an incredible need for people who look like me in the field of medicine, with our aging population, and also with the mistreatment of a lot of our people of color and them not trusting the system. I feel that being in the field, I can help people and maybe encourage them trust in the system a little bit. It’ s incredibly important for me, and for my identity, to be in in the field of medicine, because it’ s greatly needed at this time. And it’ s 100 % of the reason why I am in medicine. There’ s such a great need and I feel that I can make a change.”
Nicolas
Nicolas Hurtado Bautista
First year CDU 4-year medical program student Nicolas Hurtado Bautista was born in Bogota, Colombia and grew up in Anaheim, California. He was one or two years old when his mom decided that she wanted to live in the United States. His mother was born in Bogota and his father, a Black man, was from Cauca, a city in Colombia’ s southwest coastal region.
His parents separated and Nicolas was raised by his mother and grandparents.“ I never really liked my father’ s side. He was the one who was Afro Latino,” he observed. Nicolas’ upbringing caused him to note that he was different.“ I’ ve always been the one who was separated out. My family calls me negrito. It was a nice way of saying the dark one,” he said with a laugh. Growing up, he felt different, though definitely a part of the family.“ My family loves me to death. They always show love and kindness,” he added.
Settled in Anaheim, he had no exposure to other Black Latinos.“ If you’ re in this country by the age of two, then you pretty much would see yourself as, although you live in the Latino community, an American.” In school, he experienced circumstances that amplified his feelings of being different.“ I always felt like the darkest one in school. Sometimes you get bullied. Or someone would say,‘ you’ ve been in the sun too long’.
“ I think a lot of it came from insecurities. Being made fun of, not seeing someone who looked like you who could speak Spanish so well. People were always surprised. They’ d be like,‘ you speak Spanish?’… as if it was something because of my skin color that I shouldn’ t be able to do,” he responded.
CDU College of Medicine | PG. 17