"Weathering" and Black Women's Healthcare

I thought Mr. Carson’s presentation on “Weathering” was fascinating and important. I think that in modern feminism we often excuse or exclude white women from discussions of racism, or at least portray them as an equally oppressed class. In fact, white women throughout history have been absolutely complicit in the subjugation of Black Americans and the furthering of White supremacist notions. The healthcare system is a perfect example of this: Kyra Johnson’s concerns were dismissed by her nurses and she died as a result. There was no female solidarity, or the idea of women supporting women. This is not to say that White women are inherently antagonistic to Black women and women of color, but that they should not be exempted from criticism of Whiteness and White supremacy. I think often when discussing racism or oppression in general we like to blame “White men” when in fact White women are just as complicitIn his lecture, Mr. Carson discussed the “cult of White womanhood” and the way White women perpetuate and benefit from racism. When discussing feminism, I think it is particularly important to think of it intersectionally—Black women are oppressed because they are women, and they are oppressed because they are Black, and a person who does not fall at the intersection of these identities cannot understand their experience. Black women are also more likely than White women to be food insecure or income insecure, thus making a supportive healthcare system all the more important.

I also found the presentation interesting because I previously had read some articles about implicit bias training in healthcare. Doctors in many cases are not being consciously unequal in their treatment of patients, but simply possess implicit biases that cause them to dismiss the experiences and judgment of their Black women patients. Many doctors, for instance, are less likely to prescribe pain medicine to Black women even when they report similar levels of pain to White women. Some clinics and hospitals have already begun to implement these implicit bias training programs. The goal of this is not to eliminate doctors’ or nurses’ implicit biases but to ensure that they are providing the highest standard of care and are cognizant of when their own preconceptions may affect their care. Of course, another way to address the sometimes negligent care of Black women is to increase the number of Black healthcare professionals. As Mr. Carson noted in his presentation, Black Americans are underrepresented in all levels of the healthcare system, from doctors to nurses. Part of improving the racial inequality ingrained into this system is to work to elevate Black doctors and nurses.