Hartford (Connecticut) will host its first-ever Black Doctors Day on Saturday (Feb.8) at Dunkin’ Donuts Park. The free event aims to encourage Black children to pursue careers in health care and highlight the importance of diversity in medical professions, reports the Hartford Courant.
Philanthropist Francine Austin, who organized and produced Black Doctors Day, called the event “the first of its kind.” No one has ever brought all the Black doctors together,” said the founder and president of Francine Entertainment and Marketing.
“If our kids can see it, they can achieve it.” State Sen. Douglas McCrory (D-Hartford) said it was the responsibility of community leaders to share a wide variety of career choices with Black children and to make sure the rest of the country knows that Black Americans are present in many industries besides sports and entertainment. “Representation counts,” McCrory said. “Many of our children do not have the opportunity to see Black doctors. When I look at the statistics I think, ‘We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
While Black Americans make up roughly 13 percent of the country’s population, about 5 percent of all U.S. physicians are Black, reported the Association of American Medical Colleges in 2018. During the 2018-2019 school year, less than 9 percent of all applicants to medical schools in the U.S. were Black, and Black students made up only 7 percent of all those accepted. About 6.2 percent of medical school graduates in the 2018-2019 school year were Black.
