Racism, Bias and Discrimination
I just
listened to a news program during which a Black man was interviewed saying that
he is sick of the rioting. He believes
there should be protests but violence is not appropriate. He understood the anger because he too has
been stopped and profiled numerous times by police. He knew he did nothing wrong but still he was
scared of what might happen to him.
The next
segment of the show was about the large numbers of Black and Hispanic people
dying from Covid-19. Most of the news
segments related to the underlying health problems the black community may have
which are worse now with Covid-19.
I remember
hearing months ago, when the pandemic was at its worst, that doctors needed to
make the painful decision: who would get medical care because they could be
saved and who would not receive care because they could not be helped. Now I wonder: could some doctors also be
making that choice because of the same thought process a white police officer might
have when engaging a black man?
Isn’t it possible that our trusted healthcare professionals are also experiencing bias when it comes to seeing a patient who doesn’t look like them or their family?
I don’t know
the answers but I do hope it is a way for us to recognize how we feel when we
see someone who looks different from us, and in any aspect of our daily lives
to recognize that this person is important.
Whether it’s a police officer or a doctor or anyone else who works with
the public or lives in this society, we must recognize there may be underlying
feelings and emotions that need to be examined
That’s all.
