Historically, the healthcare system has been a luxury that often skipped Black Americans. From forced hysterectomies to mutilated bodies, we have been the subjects of many inhumane studies, procedures, and experiments that have led to a long-lasting distrust of the medical system. For a majority of us, we like to rely on holistic medicines and look to nature for healing ailments whenever we can. Join me as we shine a Historical Spotlight on Daniel Hale Williams, the Black American doctor who made history as the first surgeon to ever successfully perform open-heart surgery.

With new, experimental drugs like COVID-19 vaccines and Ozempic making waves amongst consumers, it’s hard to decipher any potential long term side effects from medications or treatments when they haven’t had extensive lab testing. Throughout history, Black Americans have been subjected to being test subjects for potentially dangerous treatments that have negatively impacted their health. Join me as we shine a Historical Spotlight on one of the most egregious and racist medical studies, the Tuskegee Syphilis Study.