Back to All Events

Black Health Matters: An Undoctored History of Health Care and Healing Traditions in the Black Community


  • RECREATION VIRTUAL Silver Spring, MD (map)
African American cadet Nurse adjusting traction at Freedmen’s Hospital, Washington, DC. / Source: NIH

African American cadet Nurse adjusting traction at Freedmen’s Hospital, Washington, DC. / Source: NIH

Dates: Feb 1 - Mar 31, 2021 at 10am

Within the Black community, there continues to exist a deep mistrust of the medical profession, which is rooted in a history of racism, exclusion, inequality, and exploitation in the nation’s systems of health care. This year’s exhibition will delve into this mistrust through an exploration of the history of medicine and health care within the African American community. It will explore a variety of subjects on the local and national levels, including the influence of West African healing and
health practices on the lives of the enslaved, the exploitation of Black patients for the advancement of American medicine, the struggle of African Americans to enter the medical profession, and the success of Black community in developing their own medical institutions, as well as integrating those established by White Americans.

Curated by the M-NCPPC Black History Program, this year’s exhibition will be virtual, consisting of a series of mini-documentaries, interviews, and profiles released during February and March 2021. For the most up-to-date information, please visit the Black History webpage!

EMAIL for more information.