BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Wellbeing is Humanity Fulfilled : Black Health and Wellness
Every year in February , we celebrate the contributions of black Americans as part of Black History Month . However , there are many individuals whose legacy has been overlooked or forgotten . Black History Month as we know it today grew out of “ Negro History Week ,” which first took place in 1926 in the second week of February ( to align with Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass ’ birthdays , on the 12th and 14th , respectively ). The weeklong celebration was declared Black History Month in 1976 by President Ford , who urged Americans to seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history .
Every year , ASALH chooses a theme for Black History Month . Last year ’ s theme , “ The Black Family : Representation , Identity , and Diversity ,” explored both the African diaspora and the spread of black families across the United States . This year , the national theme for Black History Month is
Black Health and Wellness , which examines and acknowledges the work of black scholars and medical practitioners to better understand what has been done and what is currently being done to counter the grave deficiencies in healthcare for black people , and the stark discrepancies between the treatment of black people and other groups in America . See , Byrd WM , Clayton LA . Race , medicine , and health care in the United States : a historical survey . J Natl Med Assoc . 2001 ; 93 ( 3 Suppl ): 11S- 34S ; see also , Bridges , Khiara M ., Implicit Bias and Racial Disparities in Health Care , Vol . 43 , No . 3 , Human Rights magazine , ABA Civil Rights and Social Justice .
This month we celebrate black pioneers that are not often highlighted and a few local wellness heroes .
Historical Black Medical Trailblazers
1742 : Onesimus , a Boston enslaved person , told his owner about a procedure where he became immune to smallpox by exposing himself to the bacteria of someone with smallpox through an open wound , an early inoculation . His owner , Cotton Mather , experimented with this treatment , and only six people out of 242 died . Although Onesimus contributed to this knowledge , he received terrible treatment as a slave and was punished severely for not converting to Christianity from his native religion .
16 | THE DOCKET - FEBRUARY 2022