Let's Talk: Conversations on Race

When we gladly left 2020 behind, who would have thought that 2021 would start with an attempted coup d'état?  The January 6th insurrection was offensive and troubling on many levels.  We can't afford to forget it and do what it takes to ensure that it never happens again.  During this last episode of Season 3, I provide some thoughts and reflections on that terrible day.

Do doctors treat White and Black patients differently?  Why is the mortality rate higher among Black women and babies, and why have so many people of color died from Covid-19?  Join us for an incredible interview with Dr. Jessica Long.

In this episode, I interview Dr. Louisa Olushoga, a psychiatrist who serves poor communities in Chicago.  We discuss trauma, collective trauma and addiction.  And then she shares her thoughts on Daniel Prude, a mental health patient who was killed by police in Rochester NY in 2020.

The Myth of the "Exceptional Negro" goes something like this: "Most Black people are subpar, but every once in a while, one rises up and does something great."  This is of course a myth.  Black excellence has always been there, and it will flourish more, as more opportunity opens up.

The notion that former slaves and descendants of slaves should be given reparations has been kicked around since the close of the Civil War.  We've been talking about it for 150 years and have never actually provided them.  Why not, and is it too late now?

Forty percent of US adoptions are transracial.  This shows progress in our culture: no longer do couples only want to adopt children who look like them.  But what are some of the challenges the children who grow up in these homes face?  Melissa Luckey joins us and tells her transracial adoption story.  What are some of the things she and her husband are doing to help their boys grow up with a health racial identity?

Why are there so many children in foster care and why are so many of them Black?  In this episode, I have a conversation with Dr. Ashley Cross, an expert in the foster care field.  We discuss the leading causes of child neglect and abuse and why a disproportional number of children who are removed from their homes are Black.

Season 3 begins with a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King's Jr,   How extraordinary it was that King insisted that the movement he lead be nonviolent.  He witnessed gross injustice, but he never encouraged retaliation.  His March on Washington was the linchpin which finally moved JFK off the fence and motivated him to write the Civil Rights Act.  Where would we be if King hadn't lead this historic movement?

In this final episode of Season 2, I interview my husband, Dr. Marvin Doyley.  He talks about the benefit of growing up in Jamaica, where he never even thought about race.  This provided a strong foundation which helped him to navigate the racism he experienced in England and later, in America. 

I have been a vigorous defender of Black History Month, but I've changed my mind.