Commentary: Black Scientists, Explorers, and Inventors
By dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor
Dentistry is recognized as one of the world’s oldest medical professions with a documented history dating back as far as 5000 B.C. But the modern medical field of dentistry as we know it today, wasn’t truly modernized until the 1700s. But throughout this period of modernization, African Americans experienced great difficulty in seeking dental care, while also finding it even more difficult to locate dentists of color.
Robert Tanner Freeman (1846–1873) was born near Washington, D.C. in 1846. He was the son of a carpenter who had bought his family's freedom and then moved to Raleigh North Carolina. During his late teens he found and worked for a mentor named Dr. Noble, a white dentist in Washington. He developed an interest in dentistry after working for Dr. Noble.
After being rejected from two dental schools because of the color of his skin, Freeman with the encouragement of Dr. Nobel who had contacts at Harvard Medical School, Freeman applied to Harvard. Initially rejected, Dr. Freeman went on be accepted and enrolled into the Harvard University School of Dental Medicine in 1867 at the age of 21, after a petition by Dean Nathan Cooley Keep to end the Harvard’s historical exclusion of African Americans and other racial minorities.,
In the 1860’s the Harvard School of Dental Medicine had introduced new faculty with a more unbiased policy towards race. Freeman was then accepted after being interviewed by the first dean, Dr.Nathan Cooley Keep alongside five others becoming one of "the first six" to study at Harvard Dental School. On March 10th, 1869 Tanner became the first African American to graduate from Harvard Dental School while also becoming the first African American to be awarded a dental degree in the United States.
Upon graduation, Robert opened his own practice in his hometown of Washington, D.C., and practiced until his death four years later in 1873. Dr. Freeman’s legacy extends beyond his life. He was honored by the National Dental Association, the all-black dental group which was founded in 1913 and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Association adopted the mission of Dr. Freeman to extend dental treatment and education to the impoverished, the disabled, and people of color as well as those who may not seek proper care due to age. In 1907 the predecessor organization to the National Dental Association called itself the Robert T. Freeman Dental Society.
READ MORE -->
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
News round up by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Black women in the U.S. died at a rate nearly 3.5 times higher than white women around the time of childbirth in 2023, as maternal mortality fell below prepandemic levels overall but racial gaps widened, according to federal health data released Wednesday.
In 2021 and 2022, the maternal death rate for Black women was about 2.6 times higher than white women.
The data suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic, at its peak, impacted all pregnant women. But “once we went back to ‘usual activities,’ then the impact of systemic racism and unequal access (to medical care) … came right back into place,” said Dr. Amanda Williams, interim medical director for the March of Dimes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s report Wednesday on the 2023 deaths was drawn from death certificates. The CDC counts women who died while pregnant, during childbirth and up to 42 days after birth. Accidental deaths are excluded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Health leaders across the U.S. have expressed concern over Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s controversial Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 30, where he was questioned by Maryland’s newly elected Democratic state senator, Angela Alsobrooks. During the hearing, Kennedy Jr. was asked to explain his past claims that Black people have stronger and “better” immune systems than white people, and therefore, should receive vaccines on a different schedule.
Health experts warn that Kennedy Jr.’s views on vaccination could have dangerous consequences, particularly for Black communities who are already under-vaccinated against viruses. This is especially concerning as he moves closer to potentially becoming the U.S. Secretary of Health.
Last month, Kennedy made the controversial claim that a “series of studies” in Poland showed Black people have a “much stronger reaction” to certain antigens, suggesting they should receive vaccines on a different schedule than white people. His statement left Maryland’s newly elected Democratic state senator, Angela Alsobrooks, baffled. She argued that his reasoning was “dangerous” and could discourage Black communities from receiving crucial vaccines that could save lives.
“Mr. Kennedy, with all due respect, that is so dangerous,” she told the 71-year-old politician firmly. “Your voice would be a voice that parents listen to, that is so dangerous. I will be voting against your nomination because your views are dangerous to our state and to our country.”
Health experts believe RFK’s statement may lead to more medical barriers and mistrust in the Black community.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The father of the 10-year-old boy who was injured by flying debris in the deadly plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia revealed his son’s first words after undergoing brain surgery.
Andre “Trey” Howard III was injured Friday, Jan. 31, when a medical transport jet crashed by the Roosevelt Mall, injuring at least 24 people and killing seven, including all six passengers on board and one person on the ground.
Trey was struck in the head with metal and was taken to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, where he underwent brain surgery. Trey’s family was informed that there “was a strong chance he might not survive.”
Andre Howard Jr., Trey’s father, told ABC News the conversation took place once Trey awoke from a successful surgery.
“He asked me, ‘Daddy, what’s today?’ I was like, ‘Monday.’ ‘OK, wait. We didn’t play yesterday, did we?’ ‘No, you didn’t miss the Super Bowl,’ “
Trey then asked: “Daddy, did I save my sister?”
“It had me crying,” Andre said.
“‘You told us to get down. I was just trying to help my sister … next thing I know, I thought I died,’ ” Trey said in the hospital, according to Andre.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A woman on board a boat is a sign of bad luck; and if she is on her moon, bleeding, the sea gets angry. This is just one of the many superstitions of seafarers on the Venezuelan coast. But the economic, social and migration crisis has led to a change: a feminisation of fishing, traditionally a masculine activity. We, the all-woman Solunar collective, combine photography, local knowledge, journalism, anthropology and feminist activism to map this development, especially in the states of Aragua, La Guaira and Falcón.
The project, Luna de Agua, or Water Moon, touches on the natural cycles that affect the fisherwomen’s lives, such as lunar phases and tides, and cycles of the body. It speaks too, to the country’s economic crisis.
The coast mirrors the inequalities across Venezuela, where poverty is gendered, as the Living Conditions Survey in Venezuela (Encovi 2021) finds. Women take on the unpaid work, shouldering household responsibilities in communities where basic services and job opportunities are limited.
Added to such precariousness is the constant threat of gender violence. A femicide is recorded every 47 hours in Venezuela, according to 2023 data from the NGO Utopix.
In coastal areas, women survive such adversity by uniting. The fisherwomen of Ocumare de la Costa have formed an organisation called Mujeres de la Pesca Ocumare. They ensure each of them has access to the male-owned boats; the men who accept them realise that women can be better organised, and use technique instead of brute force.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When growing gang violence and the kidnappings of healthcare workers forced Haiti’s leading organization in the treatment of HIV and AIDS-related illnesses to relocate operations from its main site in Port-au-Prince last year, infectious-disease doctors at the health service and research group faced a daunting problem.
As they tried to call patients to come get their antiretroviral treatment, the doctors at GHESKIO — the Haitian Group for the Study of Kaposi’s Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infection — found that they had either changed their numbers, didn’t have electricity to keep cell phones powered or no longer lived close by after being forced out of their homes by armed gangs.
“We were having a big issue in finding them. We could only find 40 to 50%,” said Dr. Patrice Joseph, the physician in charge of GHESKIO’s HIV, Tuberculosis and Infectious diseases program. “So we needed to expand the way in which we contacted those patients.”
The innovative solution: a radio spot in Haitian-Creole urging patients to “Come back to Care” and providing them with community health centers in Port-au-Prince where they could get their medication.
This week, following the Trump administration’s sweeping 90-day freeze on U.S. foreign assistance, doctors at GHESKIO launched another spot. This one informed its HIV/AIDS patients that the U.S.-funded President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program, commonly known as PEPFAR, has been temporarily suspended.
“This sudden decision affects all PEPFAR medical clinics in Haiti and abroad,” the spot says.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WELCOME TO THE FRIDAY PORCH
IF YOU ARE NEW TO THE BLACK KOS COMMUNITY, GRAB A SEAT, SOME CYBER EATS, RELAX, AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF.
