2024

I am beyond eager to see what this summer has to offer both me and ARCC. My hope for this summer is this crew of interns and passionate staff makes this organization something bigger than any of us could imagine.

“Do you think a Black person can be racist to a white person?”. This is a question that fascinated me during my freshman year of college.

“Don’t let anybody, anybody convince you this is the way the world is and therefore must be. It must be the way it ought to be.” These simple yet impactful words by Toni Morrison from, The Source of Self Regard perfectly, yet plainly depict the convictions of those on the mission of committing to anti-racist advocacy.

As an Emory student, healthcare has been at the forefront of my mind regardless of how seemingly removed my endeavors are from the field. So when I first came across ARCC’s blog post on medical racism, it immediately piqued my interest.

Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, the son of an educator, I have seen firsthand a system ravaged by underfunding, prejudice, and racism. But ARCC gives me hope. This kind of movement can change the future, not just locally, but across the nation, and the world.

“According to the Black and Missing Foundation, 9 out of ten children of color are reported as runaways, that means only one out of all 10 are reported and people are alerted about.”

It is vitally important for us, as a society, to encourage Black people, and more specifically Black women, to pursue careers in healthcare. Dr. Tamika Lasege discusses her experiences as a Black female doctor and how Black people are treated in healthcare during the podcast episode.

Fredrick Douglass gave a speech on July 5th, 1852 entitled “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”. In this speech, he criticizes the way American ideals of independence only apply to White people.

Because of ARCC’s course, I have learned so much from the course material and I have had the opportunity to hear from so many people with different backgrounds about their own personal experiences and stories.

Despite significant progress, systemic racism remains deeply entrenched in American society. The Black Lives Matter movement, ongoing protests against police brutality, and disparities in healthcare, education, and economic opportunities all point to the persistent inequalities that undermine the ideals of July 4th.