June 18, 2025 • 32 mins
We all want the best healthcare for our children—but for Black parents, this can involve pushing past bias, asking hard questions, and showing up prepared.
In this powerful episode, Carol sits down with Dr. Uché Blackstock—emergency physician, health equity champion, and bestselling author of Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine—to talk about how parents can navigate the healthcare system to make sure our kids get the best possible care.
Dr. Blackstock shares how her late mother—a trailblazing Harvard-trained physician—laid the foundation for her journey and inspired her passion for health justice. She offers clear, practical advice for parents on how to find and interview the right pediatrician, prepare for and manage doctor’s visits with confidence, and identify trustworthy health information while avoiding harmful misinformation. She also breaks down how racism shows up in children's medical care, and what parents can do to advocate effectively.
Whether your child is a toddler or a teen, this episode will help you walk into every exam room informed, empowered, and ready to make sure your child gets the care they need.
Follow Ground Control Parenting:
📱 Instagram, TikTok & Facebook: @GroundControlParenting
💼 LinkedIn: Carol Sutton Lewis
🌐 Website: GroundControlParenting.com
In this powerful episode, Carol sits down with Dr. Uché Blackstock—emergency physician, health equity champion, and bestselling author of Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine—to talk about how parents can navigate the healthcare system to make sure our kids get the best possible care.
Dr. Blackstock shares how her late mother—a trailblazing Harvard-trained physician—laid the foundation for her journey and inspired her passion for health justice. She offers clear, practical advice for parents on how to find and interview the right pediatrician, prepare for and manage doctor’s visits with confidence, and identify trustworthy health information while avoiding harmful misinformation. She also breaks down how racism shows up in children's medical care, and what parents can do to advocate effectively.
Whether your child is a toddler or a teen, this episode will help you walk into every exam room informed, empowered, and ready to make sure your child gets the care they need.
Follow Ground Control Parenting:
📱 Instagram, TikTok & Facebook: @GroundControlParenting
💼 LinkedIn: Carol Sutton Lewis
🌐 Website: GroundControlParenting.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, welcome to Ground Control Parenting. Before we get started,
I just want to mention that we had a few
technical issues with its recording, but we decided that the
expertise and excellent advice were so valuable that we want
to release it as planned. A few parts were re recorded,
and we believe everyone will still be able to fully
appreciate our conversation with doctor U. J. Blackstock. Thanks for
listening and please enjoy the episode.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Hello and welcome to Ground Control Parenting, a blog and
now a podcast created for raising black and brown children.
I'm the creator and your host, Carol Sutton Lewis. In
this podcast series, I talk with some really interesting people
about the job and the joy of parenting. This season
on Ground Control Parenting, we're talking to experts from a
wide range of fields to explore how we can raise curious, confident,
(00:48):
and healthy children in today's world. And today we're focusing
on health, one of the most important and deeply personal
topics of all now for black families in America. The
twenty twenty five health statistics tell a really troubling story.
Black babies are more likely to die than white babies
before their first birthday. Black women are more likely to
(01:08):
die in childbirth, Black men are more likely to die
at a younger age, and these outcomes persist regardless of
education or income. Today's guest has spent her career unpacking
the roots of these inequities and working relentlessly to change them.
Doctor U. J. Blackstock is an emergency physician. She's the
New York Times best selling author of Legacy a Black
(01:31):
Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine, and she is the
founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity. She launched this
organization in twenty nineteen to help healthcare institutions identify and
eliminate racial disparities in care. A former associate professor and
diversity leader at New York University School of Medicine, doctor
Blackstock is also a powerful voice in the media, writing
(01:53):
for outlets like The Washington Post and Scientific American, and
serving as an exclusive medical contributor for MSNBC and NBC News.
The daughter of a Harvard University trained doctor, doctor Blackstock
and her twin sister, doctor Onny Blackstock, received both their
undergraduate and medical degrees from Harvard, making them the first
black mother daughter legacies from Harvard Medical School. Doctor Blackstock
(02:16):
lives in our hometown of Brooklyn, New York, with their
two sons, who are eight and ten. Welcome to Ground
Control Parenting, Doctor.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Blackstock, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
It's so great to have you with me today to
help parents focus on the critical issue of our health,
as importantly our children's health. There's so much to talk about.
We want to hear about your journey, which is captured
in your book, and we're going to ask for your
expertise on how parents can and should work with doctors
to keep our children healthy. And then in a separate episode,
we'll focus more closely on black maternal health, a topic
(02:47):
of great concern.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
To us all.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
So let's get started, doctor Blackstock. Your mother, Doctor Dale
Gloria Blackstock, had an incredible journey from being raised as
a single mom with her five siblings under humble circums
stances to becoming a Harvard train doctor, and she returned
to her Crown to Heights community to serve them. And
you write so beautifully in your book about how your mom,
(03:09):
even with her incredibly demanding work schedule, made education and
development of you and your twin sister only a top priority.
So tell me what were some of the things that
she did when we were young to sort of inspire you,
to nurture your curiosity and to nurture your love of learning.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Some of the fond memories I have are just of
us walking in our neighborhood and Crown Heights, my mother
with her book of flowers, and we would go around
to different yards looking at flowers, and then she would
tell us the names of the flowers and she would
just get so excited about it. So that's one thing.
The other thing is for our slumber parties. Our mother
(03:46):
would have us before we had any fun. It was okay,
we give us, you know, and our friends a worksheet,
math worksheet, a reading worksheet to do. And you know,
it wasn't something that was onerous or anything. It was like,
you know, we kind of expected it, and after we
were done with it, then we could go, you know,
watch TV and watch a movie or eat popcorn.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
I love that I can just see your mom with
the worksheets and they're like, oh, okay, doctor Blackstock, we
have to do our math first. But I love that
your friends knew this was coming and we're happy for it,
or maybe not happy, but at least willing to do
it before the movie.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Oh, yes, they knew they were signing up for when
they accepted an invite for a sleepover.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
That's so great.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
And you and your sister also spent time with her
in her office, that is, at the hospital with her.
So was it those office visits that prompted you both
to start thinking about following in her footsteps or was
this something like from day one you wanted to be
a doctor like your mom.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Yeah, I think it was from day one. You know,
growing up, I thought that actually every single position was
a black woman, because my mother would take us to
meetings of you know, her the local black woman position
or organization where she was president, and my sister and
I would sit in the back of the room listening in,
you know, not knowing what exactly what was going on,
(05:02):
but knowing that there are these brilliant black women's physicians
and their white coats talking about community projects and service
in our neighborhood and so like, that's what I saw
very early on. And my pedutrician was a black woman,
and at the time, in the eighties and nineties in Brooklyn,
in my neighborhood, it was you know, as working class,
middle class neighborhood. Most of the black positions lived in
(05:24):
that neighborhood, right, They lived in the same neighborhood where
they practiced, and so that's I was always exposed to them.
So I think from a very early age I always
thought my sister Onni as well, of course we'll be
a doctor. But then also just seeing how well respected
our mother was in our community, and then, as you mentioned,
visiting her at work and really getting to see how
(05:46):
much her patients loved her and she really connected with them.
I mean they were hugging her when they were done
with their visits. Like how many people are hugging their doctors.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
No, doesn't happen a lot. You also write in legacy
about how intentional both your parents were in raising you
and your sister to take pride in your heritage, to
pick pride in being black. Tell me what are some
of the things they did at home to encourage that.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Yeah, well, it's interesting. I think it all started even
with our nursery school. I actually just posted on social
media recently about we went to a nursery school. It's
called Little Sun People and it was founded by a
black woman educator. The curriculum was affrocentric, culturally responsive curriculum,
one of the first in the country, and so as
three and four year olds, that's the environment we were in.
(06:35):
An environment that really centered black children, centered our identity,
made us feel really loved and nourished. So that was
the beginning. But I think I read the book like
my mother and father would give us assignments, like we
would have to write about you know, famous or well
known black people in history, right, we have to we
have to write essays about them. We would have to
(06:56):
write essays about what it means to be young, gifted
and black. My mother would make sure to take us
to see black artists at the Brooklyn Museum or the
Studio Museum of Haarlem And so it's interesting I think
from that, you know, I never considered our minorities. I
felt like in the sense of our presence and our
(07:16):
contribution to this country. I always felt like, as black people,
we had always done given so much to this country.
So much of it was not only just built in
our backs, but the contributions that we've made. And I
love also how my parents they really encouraged us to
love our natural hair. And you know, they were always
telling us how beautiful, our skin was, so it just
(07:39):
felt like from home we were getting this very strong
foundation of what it felt like to be loved and
supported parents.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
When I read this in the book, I just was beaming.
And it's really so important. And this is your mom
who's working a more than full time job. I mean,
she is taking the time these little things and literally
things like writing things about being young, gifted, and black.
I mean, I really love that, and I encourage parents
to think about how they can do things like this
(08:08):
that clearly, as we see with doctor Blackstock stuck and
really resonated from a really early age. I mean that
is amazing.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
It really makes a difference. And even with my kids now,
well probably not as diligent as my parents were about that.
With my kids, I actually have affirmations posted in their
bathroom and in the living room, so every morning they
say affirmations to themselves like I love my brown skin,
or I come from a rich culture. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
So important and a perfect segue into my next question,
which is about your mom's influence on your your parenting.
So sadly, as you write in your book, your mom
passed away from cancer, which he was just forty seven,
and you were just nineteen, but clearly her influence runs
so deeply in both your professional life and your personal
and I want to know about how it influenced your
(09:02):
parenting when you became a mom. What are the primary
lessons that came rushing back, I mean, and how do
they show up as you raise your boys today.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
Oh that's such a great question. And what's interesting is like,
I'm now forty seven, so I'm the age that my
mother was when she passed away. So this this moment
that we're in, you know, with the books being out,
is very poignant for me. But I think for my kids.
The one thing my mother was always incredibly affectionate and loving,
So I never, like would ever doubt how my mother
(09:35):
felt about being our parents. We were so so loved.
She was always giving us hugs and kisses, and of
course I did the same to my kids. And maybe
because their boys they're like, Mom, you please leave what's alone? No,
But I never, I always, I would never want there
to be a day when my kids ever doubted how
(09:56):
I felt about them. And that's because of how I
fe growing up in our household. But also I think
my mother had a real just curiosity for life. And
for adventure, and that's something that I really try to
instill the kids like. It took them to d C.
We went to the African American Museum. I wanted to
make sure that we got there as soon as possible
(10:20):
and that they saw They said, Mama, you're so excited
about everything in here. I said, yeah, I want you
to see the rich contributions that we've made, that our
ancestors have made to this country. So my mother always
made learning experiences very fun, and that's what I try
to do.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
For my kids.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Oh that's great, but I have to ask do when
your sons have friends over before they can get to
the video games, do they have little mass sheets?
Speaker 3 (10:48):
No? No, It's interesting because I think, you know, honestly,
my mom grew up at a different time and under
different circumstances. I do think that, you know, growing up
on public assistance. I think for her in some ways,
you know, obviously it was traumatic, and I think that
she wanted to make sure that she gave us everything
(11:09):
that she didn't have, a health, opportunities resources. Right, my children,
My children are.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Good, Yeah, just as so quick aside, you know, when
you talked about growing up, it reminded me. I was
born in Queens but moved to Harlem when I was young,
and my father was a lawyer and his practice was
in Harlem. And as I read your book, and I
thought about the fact that I too had black doctors,
(11:37):
black dentists. All the professionals in the world and my
world were black people, and I just I knew that
there were black lawyers in Black I mean, that's because
that's all that was around us. So it really reading
this just brought back such great memories. So I want
to turn now to your book. And in your book
Legacy a Black Physician Reckons with Racism and Medicine, you
(11:57):
present a really powerful case for how our healthcare system
fails to meet the needs of black patients due to
the deep systemic inequities in the medical profession and in
society in general. And as part of your call to
action throughout your book, you focus on how we need
to hold medical professionals and hospitals accountable for their actions.
So but I was thinking about this in terms of parenting.
(12:18):
I was thinking about how we interact with the medical
profession on behalf of our children, and as parents, we
want to be strong advocates for our kids' health, particularly
in light of all the stats that float all around us,
including some that I've already mentioned, that we can't blindly
trust the medical professionals to take care of us. I
mean we historically we have not been well cared for
(12:42):
in many instances. And I know you know, as I
asked these questions about what we can do it parents
can do, I know that we can't and we shouldn't
take on the responsibility to fix the system. But we
are in it and we want to make sure that
we do the best that we can for our kids.
So I'm going to ask you to walk through some
of the sort of proac of steps that we can
take to make sure our kids are getting the best
(13:03):
care possible. The first thing I want to ask is
about emergency rooms. Now, as you write in your book,
many people rely on emergency rooms for their primary source
of health care. So how important is it as parents
that parents, if possible, should establish ongoing relationships with doctors
with pediatricians for our children's health issues.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Yeah, yes, no, it's such a great question. You know.
It's interesting my children's pediatrician I actually interviewed her before
while I was pregnant with my first one. So I
want parents to know that a lot of practices, you
can actually go meet these pediatricians and choose one that
(13:45):
you think who that's for you. So I think, like
a lot of other situations, we usually ask people we
know or colleagues, can you recommend someone, right? But then
even past that, you can actually go and do consultations.
And I think that's really important to know because I
also wanted to find a pediatrician who was a good listener.
(14:07):
I wanted to find a pediatrician who wouldn't be dismissive
of my concerns. I wanted to see a patrician who
unfortunately wasn't a black pediatrician, but she was someone who
took care of a very diverse patient population. And I
spoke to other colleagues and pediatrics who knew her, so
(14:28):
they had also recommended her. I also recognized that that's
a person that my children are going to have a
relationship with for years ideally, right, and so someone that
you also trust their clinical acumen and their clinical judgment.
And I also wanted someone who's a little bit conservative
(14:49):
in their practice, meaning that I don't want them to
be like okay, Yeah, and he has a cough, he's
going to be okay. You know I wanted them to actually, okay,
this is what our plan is going to be. I'm
going to examine him than these are the red flags
look out for. This is where you should follow up for.
So really like someone who is going to explain everything.
And it's interesting because I know you said, like it
(15:11):
really shouldn't be on us to fix the system, but
the fact is that the system is broken. So as
as parents, we have to be our children's advocate, absolutely,
because we also know that even for black children, they
have to deal with bias and discrimination from health professionals.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
And can you talk a little bit about how that
shows up.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Yeah, I mean one of the studies that I quote
often is a study that looks at actually a pendicitist
Black and Hispanic children presenting to the er with appendicitis,
and they are more likely to not get pain medication
than white children. And there's nothing to do with whether
(15:57):
their parents intervene and say no, no, no, I don't
want my kids get many these are health professionals deciding
who should get paid medication.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
We'll be right back after these messages. Welcome back. To
the show.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
I literally interviewed pediatricians when I was pregnant with my
oldest because I wanted to make sure that I had
a relationship with this person, that this was somebody that
was going to feel comfortable asking a lot of questions
of I didn't have quite as an extensive list. I
really liked that you listed out the things you were
looking for. I was looking for feel as well, but
(16:33):
these are It's really good for parents to do that,
to say, Okay, what do I really want? And you
could do that even if you are changing doctors, but
I mean it for your children. But I can remember,
frankly feeling a little that I was pushing the arm
up a little bit as I would go in and
just talk to them about what kind of doctor are
you going to be? But I didn't care because it
was really important to me that I was entering this
(16:55):
brave new world of parenting and I wanted somebody to
talk to who why would feel comfortable with. So I
really I'm thrilled that that's how you started out, because
that is definitely something that I really felt strongly about doing,
and I felt, I mean, it really did ease my
concern over time I mean, there's always going to be
some point at which you're going to be challenged by
what a doctor says, but it's very important to have
(17:17):
that common base of trust and good communication.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
Yeah. Absolutely. And then also, can I just say, like
that power dynamic between physicians and patients and their families.
You know, often we are worried about speaking up, but
it's so important that we do. Like I always say
that we are experts in our bodies, and the positions
are experts in their field of study.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
No, that's good to remember. So shouldn't parents be focused
on educating ourselves about illnesses that impact us and our children.
I mean, you talk about in your book, there's so
many illnesses that can have a different or disproportion effect
on us. Either we suffer from it more or sometimes
(18:05):
we suffer from it a little differently. And we've definitely
heard statistics about black adults more likely to die from
heart disease and strokes in their white counterparts, But there
are lot of statistics about children, Black children being more affected.
I mean, one that comes to mind is obesity. Black
children and teens are fifty percent more likely to be
obese than white children and teens and as parents, we
(18:26):
should know this when we meet with doctors. Shouldn't we
be armed with this kind of information?
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Absolutely, we should be armed, And I think what's important
is making sure that we're getting the information from a
source that is accurate. We know that there are a
lot of sources of misinformation out there, so I think
parents they can visit websites of professional pediatrics organizations or societies.
(18:51):
The National Medical Association, which is the largest black physician organization,
has a lot of very important information on their American
Medical Association also, so I really encourage parents to do
their research. Health literacy is important not just for ourselves,
as you know, as individuals, but for our children as well, because,
as you mentioned, there are many diseases that are afflicting
(19:14):
our young people and our children that we actually can
do something about.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
That's so true, and just so parents understand, it's not
we don't have to go in defensively with this information.
It's not as if we need to feel like there's
something wrong or we have to be more concerned about
our children. We can't look at these statistics and get
defense about them, like obesity and things like that. We
just have to know that they exist. And make sure
(19:40):
that we talk to our doctors about what we can
do about this and how they can help us help
our kids.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
Yes, and that having that knowledge will enable us to
have more effective conversations with our pediatricians and our physicians
about like what are the next steps, what can we
do to either prevent or you know, or these illnesses.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
That's so right, And I should also mention sickle cell.
I mean, you talk about it in your book, and
we've heard from so many different sources that this is
such a painful disease and people in crisis can have
difficulty getting the medication they need because doctors believe that
people are just trying to get drugs, or they think
by people don't feel the pain is not as bad
(20:24):
as they're saying it is.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
It is.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Heartbreaking. Although I will say very quickly, I don't know
if you follow this television show The Pit.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
That's so funny. I was actually just talking about it
during my last interview. I haven't watched it because as
an emergency medicine position, I actually don't watch medical.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Problems a little too close to home.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
Yeah, I've heard wonderful things about it.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
Well, the one wonderful thing I will say quickly, and
this relates to sickle cell. In one of the episodes,
a patient presents in the emergency room writhing in pain,
and she shackled to the gurney because the e MT
said she was she was uncontrollable, and they were treating
her as if she was.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Someone in the throes of withdrawal.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
I mean, they were really harsh with her, and the
doctor how happened to be a doctor of color, comes
to try to help her, and in between the yells
of anguish, the woman gets out that I have sickle cell.
And immediately this doctor says, stop, unshackle her. Let's give
her this amount of morphine. And the other doctors say
that's so much morphine. It's like, give it to her,
(21:28):
this is what she needs. I was really impressed that
it's like a public service announced, that they were able
to convey both the ability to misinterpret and the sort
of almost blithe misinterpretation of this war patient's problem, and
that they had a doctor that knew what to do
and did it was culturally appropriate, with culturally understanding, and
(21:49):
did the right thing. I have to say it was impressive.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
The one told me they said, oh, the writers must
have read your book. That's exactly right.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
I'm sure when I read your the passage that you
wrote about that in your book.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
I was like, ah, the pit.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
So just a few more practical tips for parents once
they've identified the pediatricians they want to take their children to.
Are some practical tips that can make a difference. Like
one friend was telling me that she videotaped her baby's
symptoms because you may present a child that was having
some horrible thing a minute ago and now they seem fine.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
I mean, yeah, I.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
Have done that with my own children and they're pediatricians.
So yes, there's so much we can say about technology
today that you know, not great sometimes, but definitely if
there are symptoms that are concerning that are not constant,
but you know, but maybe not be happy in the
doctor's office, you want to make sure that you catch
those video beforehand. And then also I think making sure
(22:47):
that your children's teachers know about any medical issues that
your children may be having, or just to be observant.
So sometimes when my children are having you know, maybe
bad allergies, I'll actually send a message to the teacher
and say you just keep an eye out for Ellington.
He may not be able to do recess today. So
I know I'm always in constant communication also with their teachers.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
That's that's really really good advice.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
So just a couple of more questions, Doctor Blackstock. When
I think about our encounter with doctors with our children,
I also think about how we are teaching our children
to navigate healthcare. So how do we how do we
talk with them about the healthcare system. I mean, you
talk in your book about the deep mistrust that so
many black people instinctively have of the medical system, and
(23:32):
we get over that. We take our children to the doctors,
but the question is, Okay, you've got a nervous child.
They have to get a shot or something, you know,
and there's nothing an emergency about it. There's just something
that has to happen. Should we be focused on presenting
a united front with the doctor to calm our children,
or if we have any questions or issues, should we
be teaching our children how to speak up and advocate?
(23:54):
I mean, I guess what I'm trying to get at.
As in a good doctor patient relationship, there is respect
on both sides. And if we as parents get so
caught up in trying to make sure that no, bad
things are happening to our kids. We might be unintentionally
conveying some sort of mistrust that our children.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Are picking up.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Yeah, what do you think about maintaining the sort of
balance in that relationship.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
That's such a great question. And what I do when
my kids they could go to the doctor is I
try to, like, I sit with them, I explain to them,
what's going to happen. You know today's visit. You know
these three things are going to happen. Yes, you're going
to get a shot. What can I do to make
you feel comfortable? Like do you need to sit on
my lap? And then I also when the doctor's there,
(24:41):
I also explain the doctors saying something and they look confused.
The kids, I'll like, okay, this is what they mean.
So I try to just make sure that I'm there
to support translate for them, I mean, because really, yes,
there is that respect in a good relationship. But at
the same time, I am their advocate, right and I
need to make sure that they are stated, that they
feel so comfortable and that they feel heard. Okay, And
(25:05):
yes there are times my older child he does not
like shots. I would just have to like it may
take longer than usual. But we're doing we're doing deep reading.
I'm hugging him, he's sitting on my lap. They're getting big.
We're doing what we have to do. And I just
tell doctor like, you just have to, you know, just
give us some time because he doesn't like needles and
(25:25):
most of them understand.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
So what do you think about the concept of recording
part or all of the doctor's visit? And I asked
that because normally, if you're involved in an illness and
it's your illness you, it's said that you should have
someone come with you because they can absorb what's happening,
and they're not in having the illness. They can they're
a better observer, and they can report back to you.
When it's your child, sometimes parents can get attached to
(25:50):
how their child is feeling that they can't absorb. All
the doctors saying great, What is the protocol for recording?
I mean, do you have to ask?
Speaker 3 (25:57):
Or I mean, oh yeah, Oh, you definitely have to
ask for permission, and I would I would always ask
because in some states, if you surreptitiously are recording someone,
that's actually illegal. But I also say, bring a notepad
with you, make sure you write down the notes. Make
sure you have also I always say if there are symptoms,
(26:20):
you know, symptoms, duration, questions, that you have write them
down before you go so that you can refer to
your notes. I think that is also very helpful.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Yeah, no, that's that's a good that's a good point. Okay,
final question. At the end of your book, you have
said that in thinking about whether you would encourage your sons,
your young sons, I mean they're really young now, but
to pursue a career in medicine, which makes all the
sense in the world, considering both your experience and the
medical profession, and what you know about black people's experience
in the medical profession. But as you note, and as
(26:52):
studies have shown, black patients treated by black doctors may
experience better overall health outcomes. For Maria to reasons, so
we need more black doctors. And so given that we
need more black doctors, how do we encourage I mean
taking this away from your sons, but how do we
encourage young people to consider medicine knowing how sort of
(27:14):
broken to some degree the system is.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
So I know, I feel very conflicted about this question,
just because I have in my vision like what the
system should look like, right, like what it's and even
that pipeline of from child to student to practicing position,
Like I think there needs to be a really holistic
pipeline if we're thinking about how do we create more
(27:37):
black positions and it doesn't just look like starting when
someone's pre med. That's too late. College is too late,
high school's too late. It really should start in preschool, right,
and we're thinking about very holistic like providing mentoring, sponsorship opportunities,
really extra tutoring because we know there's so much variability
(27:58):
in terms of the schools that might our kids go to.
Financial assistance. I would love to see public private collaborations
around how can we improve this pipeline, but also the
other issues that again, once our students get to you know, college,
medical school, they have to deal with environments that may
be inhospitable to them. So this is like very multi pronged. Yes,
(28:22):
they can get them there, but once they get there,
are they going to be supported? Right? So yeah, So
I think these are all the things that we need
to talk about. And one of my sons says, I
definitely want to do this. I would say, okay, let's
talk about like, how I could that support you?
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Right?
Speaker 3 (28:36):
What do you need looking out from getting mentors very
early on? Just something I wish I had been more
assertive about, right. So yeah, so just different things that
I've kind of learned along the way. But yeah, I
still would feel a little bit conflicted if they said
they wanted to be doctors. But there's also so much
other things that they can do. Although right now they
both say guess what, they say they want to be
(28:57):
basketball players, and I'm like, I like, really, I'm your
mom and you want to be a basketball player.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Okay, Well, all I can say, no pressure on your sons,
but if they had you as a mentor to help
them along the path, they would no doubt be excellent physician.
So so, doctor black Sock, I'm going to wrap it
up here. First, I want to say thank you so much.
There's so I could carry this conversation on for another
(29:25):
four episodes. There's so much to talk about. But I'm
sure the parents have really appreciated hearing all the great
advice that you've been able to give us, and i
just want to remind them that your book Legacy a
Black Physician, reckons with racism and Medicine is available at
bookstores and online everywhere, so please pick up a copy.
So there's one more thing before we go, And I'm
want to ask you as I ask all my guests
(29:46):
to play a quick game, the GCP Lightning Round, And
so I have four quick questions.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
Are you ready?
Speaker 3 (29:53):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (29:54):
So your favorite poem or saying O.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
My favorite poem is by Lucille's Black Woman's Poet. It's
called I Am Running into a New Year.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
I love that. I love her. I mean she's amazing, amazing. Yeah,
And give me two of your favorite children's books. And
they can be books that you and only read when
you were little or were read to you, or books
that you read to your sons or both.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
Okay, the ones I've read to my sons that I
love are The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear,
what do you see?
Speaker 1 (30:25):
I love them both?
Speaker 2 (30:27):
And okay, two final questions. A mom moment that you
would love to do over? And by that, I don't
mean it was so great that you want to do
it like you would do it differently? You could you
want to do over on it?
Speaker 3 (30:39):
No, I think more more like when my kids were
newborns like it was very much like, okay, what needs
to be done, as opposed to being in the moment.
I wish I could just like fit with them more
and look at their little faces. I get. I mean,
of course they're intent now, but I wish I had
been more in the moment when they were newborns.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
Those little I mean as the mother of a older, older,
older kids, I'm telling you, those moments go by like lightning.
It's crazy. And finally the moment when you nailed it
as a mom, where you knew you nailed it as
a mom.
Speaker 3 (31:12):
So I knew I nailed it as a mom when
my ten year old did a presentation about me for
a Black History Month. Yes, and I recently ran into
one of his classmates who said, I know you. You're Cameron's mom.
Cameron did a presentation on you, and I can't forget you.
So that was a true honor.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Oh my gosh, Oh that is definitely nailing it. Oh
so great. Thank you those are great answers. And thank
you again so much for being with us.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
Thank you for having me, Carol.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
I hope everyone listening enjoyed this conversation that you'll come
back for more. Please subscribe rate and a review where
you find your podcasts and tell your friends. For more
parenting info and advice, please check out the Ground Control
Parenting website at wwwgroundcontrolparenting dot com. You can also find
us on Facebook and Instagram at ground Control Parenting and
on LinkedIn under Carroll Sutton Lewis. Until the next time,
(32:07):
take care and thanks for listening.
Hi, welcome to Ground Control Parenting. Before we get started,
I just want to mention that we had a few
technical issues with its recording, but we decided that the
expertise and excellent advice were so valuable that we want
to release it as planned. A few parts were re recorded,
and we believe everyone will still be able to fully
appreciate our conversation with doctor U. J. Blackstock. Thanks for
listening and please enjoy the episode.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Hello and welcome to Ground Control Parenting, a blog and
now a podcast created for raising black and brown children.
I'm the creator and your host, Carol Sutton Lewis. In
this podcast series, I talk with some really interesting people
about the job and the joy of parenting. This season
on Ground Control Parenting, we're talking to experts from a
wide range of fields to explore how we can raise curious, confident,
(00:48):
and healthy children in today's world. And today we're focusing
on health, one of the most important and deeply personal
topics of all now for black families in America. The
twenty twenty five health statistics tell a really troubling story.
Black babies are more likely to die than white babies
before their first birthday. Black women are more likely to
(01:08):
die in childbirth, Black men are more likely to die
at a younger age, and these outcomes persist regardless of
education or income. Today's guest has spent her career unpacking
the roots of these inequities and working relentlessly to change them.
Doctor U. J. Blackstock is an emergency physician. She's the
New York Times best selling author of Legacy a Black
(01:31):
Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine, and she is the
founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity. She launched this
organization in twenty nineteen to help healthcare institutions identify and
eliminate racial disparities in care. A former associate professor and
diversity leader at New York University School of Medicine, doctor
Blackstock is also a powerful voice in the media, writing
(01:53):
for outlets like The Washington Post and Scientific American, and
serving as an exclusive medical contributor for MSNBC and NBC News.
The daughter of a Harvard University trained doctor, doctor Blackstock
and her twin sister, doctor Onny Blackstock, received both their
undergraduate and medical degrees from Harvard, making them the first
black mother daughter legacies from Harvard Medical School. Doctor Blackstock
(02:16):
lives in our hometown of Brooklyn, New York, with their
two sons, who are eight and ten. Welcome to Ground
Control Parenting, Doctor.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Blackstock, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
It's so great to have you with me today to
help parents focus on the critical issue of our health,
as importantly our children's health. There's so much to talk about.
We want to hear about your journey, which is captured
in your book, and we're going to ask for your
expertise on how parents can and should work with doctors
to keep our children healthy. And then in a separate episode,
we'll focus more closely on black maternal health, a topic
(02:47):
of great concern.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
To us all.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
So let's get started, doctor Blackstock. Your mother, Doctor Dale
Gloria Blackstock, had an incredible journey from being raised as
a single mom with her five siblings under humble circums
stances to becoming a Harvard train doctor, and she returned
to her Crown to Heights community to serve them. And
you write so beautifully in your book about how your mom,
(03:09):
even with her incredibly demanding work schedule, made education and
development of you and your twin sister only a top priority.
So tell me what were some of the things that
she did when we were young to sort of inspire you,
to nurture your curiosity and to nurture your love of learning.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Some of the fond memories I have are just of
us walking in our neighborhood and Crown Heights, my mother
with her book of flowers, and we would go around
to different yards looking at flowers, and then she would
tell us the names of the flowers and she would
just get so excited about it. So that's one thing.
The other thing is for our slumber parties. Our mother
(03:46):
would have us before we had any fun. It was okay,
we give us, you know, and our friends a worksheet,
math worksheet, a reading worksheet to do. And you know,
it wasn't something that was onerous or anything. It was like,
you know, we kind of expected it, and after we
were done with it, then we could go, you know,
watch TV and watch a movie or eat popcorn.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
I love that I can just see your mom with
the worksheets and they're like, oh, okay, doctor Blackstock, we
have to do our math first. But I love that
your friends knew this was coming and we're happy for it,
or maybe not happy, but at least willing to do
it before the movie.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Oh, yes, they knew they were signing up for when
they accepted an invite for a sleepover.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
That's so great.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
And you and your sister also spent time with her
in her office, that is, at the hospital with her.
So was it those office visits that prompted you both
to start thinking about following in her footsteps or was
this something like from day one you wanted to be
a doctor like your mom.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Yeah, I think it was from day one. You know,
growing up, I thought that actually every single position was
a black woman, because my mother would take us to
meetings of you know, her the local black woman position
or organization where she was president, and my sister and
I would sit in the back of the room listening in,
you know, not knowing what exactly what was going on,
(05:02):
but knowing that there are these brilliant black women's physicians
and their white coats talking about community projects and service
in our neighborhood and so like, that's what I saw
very early on. And my pedutrician was a black woman,
and at the time, in the eighties and nineties in Brooklyn,
in my neighborhood, it was you know, as working class,
middle class neighborhood. Most of the black positions lived in
(05:24):
that neighborhood, right, They lived in the same neighborhood where
they practiced, and so that's I was always exposed to them.
So I think from a very early age I always
thought my sister Onni as well, of course we'll be
a doctor. But then also just seeing how well respected
our mother was in our community, and then, as you mentioned,
visiting her at work and really getting to see how
(05:46):
much her patients loved her and she really connected with them.
I mean they were hugging her when they were done
with their visits. Like how many people are hugging their doctors.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
No, doesn't happen a lot. You also write in legacy
about how intentional both your parents were in raising you
and your sister to take pride in your heritage, to
pick pride in being black. Tell me what are some
of the things they did at home to encourage that.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Yeah, well, it's interesting. I think it all started even
with our nursery school. I actually just posted on social
media recently about we went to a nursery school. It's
called Little Sun People and it was founded by a
black woman educator. The curriculum was affrocentric, culturally responsive curriculum,
one of the first in the country, and so as
three and four year olds, that's the environment we were in.
(06:35):
An environment that really centered black children, centered our identity,
made us feel really loved and nourished. So that was
the beginning. But I think I read the book like
my mother and father would give us assignments, like we
would have to write about you know, famous or well
known black people in history, right, we have to we
have to write essays about them. We would have to
(06:56):
write essays about what it means to be young, gifted
and black. My mother would make sure to take us
to see black artists at the Brooklyn Museum or the
Studio Museum of Haarlem And so it's interesting I think
from that, you know, I never considered our minorities. I
felt like in the sense of our presence and our
(07:16):
contribution to this country. I always felt like, as black people,
we had always done given so much to this country.
So much of it was not only just built in
our backs, but the contributions that we've made. And I
love also how my parents they really encouraged us to
love our natural hair. And you know, they were always
telling us how beautiful, our skin was, so it just
(07:39):
felt like from home we were getting this very strong
foundation of what it felt like to be loved and
supported parents.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
When I read this in the book, I just was beaming.
And it's really so important. And this is your mom
who's working a more than full time job. I mean,
she is taking the time these little things and literally
things like writing things about being young, gifted, and black.
I mean, I really love that, and I encourage parents
to think about how they can do things like this
(08:08):
that clearly, as we see with doctor Blackstock stuck and
really resonated from a really early age. I mean that
is amazing.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
It really makes a difference. And even with my kids now,
well probably not as diligent as my parents were about that.
With my kids, I actually have affirmations posted in their
bathroom and in the living room, so every morning they
say affirmations to themselves like I love my brown skin,
or I come from a rich culture. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
So important and a perfect segue into my next question,
which is about your mom's influence on your your parenting.
So sadly, as you write in your book, your mom
passed away from cancer, which he was just forty seven,
and you were just nineteen, but clearly her influence runs
so deeply in both your professional life and your personal
and I want to know about how it influenced your
(09:02):
parenting when you became a mom. What are the primary
lessons that came rushing back, I mean, and how do
they show up as you raise your boys today.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
Oh that's such a great question. And what's interesting is like,
I'm now forty seven, so I'm the age that my
mother was when she passed away. So this this moment
that we're in, you know, with the books being out,
is very poignant for me. But I think for my kids.
The one thing my mother was always incredibly affectionate and loving,
So I never, like would ever doubt how my mother
(09:35):
felt about being our parents. We were so so loved.
She was always giving us hugs and kisses, and of
course I did the same to my kids. And maybe
because their boys they're like, Mom, you please leave what's alone? No,
But I never, I always, I would never want there
to be a day when my kids ever doubted how
(09:56):
I felt about them. And that's because of how I
fe growing up in our household. But also I think
my mother had a real just curiosity for life. And
for adventure, and that's something that I really try to
instill the kids like. It took them to d C.
We went to the African American Museum. I wanted to
make sure that we got there as soon as possible
(10:20):
and that they saw They said, Mama, you're so excited
about everything in here. I said, yeah, I want you
to see the rich contributions that we've made, that our
ancestors have made to this country. So my mother always
made learning experiences very fun, and that's what I try
to do.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
For my kids.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Oh that's great, but I have to ask do when
your sons have friends over before they can get to
the video games, do they have little mass sheets?
Speaker 3 (10:48):
No? No, It's interesting because I think, you know, honestly,
my mom grew up at a different time and under
different circumstances. I do think that, you know, growing up
on public assistance. I think for her in some ways,
you know, obviously it was traumatic, and I think that
she wanted to make sure that she gave us everything
(11:09):
that she didn't have, a health, opportunities resources. Right, my children,
My children are.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Good, Yeah, just as so quick aside, you know, when
you talked about growing up, it reminded me. I was
born in Queens but moved to Harlem when I was young,
and my father was a lawyer and his practice was
in Harlem. And as I read your book, and I
thought about the fact that I too had black doctors,
(11:37):
black dentists. All the professionals in the world and my
world were black people, and I just I knew that
there were black lawyers in Black I mean, that's because
that's all that was around us. So it really reading
this just brought back such great memories. So I want
to turn now to your book. And in your book
Legacy a Black Physician Reckons with Racism and Medicine, you
(11:57):
present a really powerful case for how our healthcare system
fails to meet the needs of black patients due to
the deep systemic inequities in the medical profession and in
society in general. And as part of your call to
action throughout your book, you focus on how we need
to hold medical professionals and hospitals accountable for their actions.
So but I was thinking about this in terms of parenting.
(12:18):
I was thinking about how we interact with the medical
profession on behalf of our children, and as parents, we
want to be strong advocates for our kids' health, particularly
in light of all the stats that float all around us,
including some that I've already mentioned, that we can't blindly
trust the medical professionals to take care of us. I
mean we historically we have not been well cared for
(12:42):
in many instances. And I know you know, as I
asked these questions about what we can do it parents
can do, I know that we can't and we shouldn't
take on the responsibility to fix the system. But we
are in it and we want to make sure that
we do the best that we can for our kids.
So I'm going to ask you to walk through some
of the sort of proac of steps that we can
take to make sure our kids are getting the best
(13:03):
care possible. The first thing I want to ask is
about emergency rooms. Now, as you write in your book,
many people rely on emergency rooms for their primary source
of health care. So how important is it as parents
that parents, if possible, should establish ongoing relationships with doctors
with pediatricians for our children's health issues.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Yeah, yes, no, it's such a great question. You know.
It's interesting my children's pediatrician I actually interviewed her before
while I was pregnant with my first one. So I
want parents to know that a lot of practices, you
can actually go meet these pediatricians and choose one that
(13:45):
you think who that's for you. So I think, like
a lot of other situations, we usually ask people we
know or colleagues, can you recommend someone, right? But then
even past that, you can actually go and do consultations.
And I think that's really important to know because I
also wanted to find a pediatrician who was a good listener.
(14:07):
I wanted to find a pediatrician who wouldn't be dismissive
of my concerns. I wanted to see a patrician who
unfortunately wasn't a black pediatrician, but she was someone who
took care of a very diverse patient population. And I
spoke to other colleagues and pediatrics who knew her, so
(14:28):
they had also recommended her. I also recognized that that's
a person that my children are going to have a
relationship with for years ideally, right, and so someone that
you also trust their clinical acumen and their clinical judgment.
And I also wanted someone who's a little bit conservative
(14:49):
in their practice, meaning that I don't want them to
be like okay, Yeah, and he has a cough, he's
going to be okay. You know I wanted them to actually, okay,
this is what our plan is going to be. I'm
going to examine him than these are the red flags
look out for. This is where you should follow up for.
So really like someone who is going to explain everything.
And it's interesting because I know you said, like it
(15:11):
really shouldn't be on us to fix the system, but
the fact is that the system is broken. So as
as parents, we have to be our children's advocate, absolutely,
because we also know that even for black children, they
have to deal with bias and discrimination from health professionals.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
And can you talk a little bit about how that
shows up.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Yeah, I mean one of the studies that I quote
often is a study that looks at actually a pendicitist
Black and Hispanic children presenting to the er with appendicitis,
and they are more likely to not get pain medication
than white children. And there's nothing to do with whether
(15:57):
their parents intervene and say no, no, no, I don't
want my kids get many these are health professionals deciding
who should get paid medication.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
We'll be right back after these messages. Welcome back. To
the show.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
I literally interviewed pediatricians when I was pregnant with my
oldest because I wanted to make sure that I had
a relationship with this person, that this was somebody that
was going to feel comfortable asking a lot of questions
of I didn't have quite as an extensive list. I
really liked that you listed out the things you were
looking for. I was looking for feel as well, but
(16:33):
these are It's really good for parents to do that,
to say, Okay, what do I really want? And you
could do that even if you are changing doctors, but
I mean it for your children. But I can remember,
frankly feeling a little that I was pushing the arm
up a little bit as I would go in and
just talk to them about what kind of doctor are
you going to be? But I didn't care because it
was really important to me that I was entering this
(16:55):
brave new world of parenting and I wanted somebody to
talk to who why would feel comfortable with. So I
really I'm thrilled that that's how you started out, because
that is definitely something that I really felt strongly about doing,
and I felt, I mean, it really did ease my
concern over time I mean, there's always going to be
some point at which you're going to be challenged by
what a doctor says, but it's very important to have
(17:17):
that common base of trust and good communication.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
Yeah. Absolutely. And then also, can I just say, like
that power dynamic between physicians and patients and their families.
You know, often we are worried about speaking up, but
it's so important that we do. Like I always say
that we are experts in our bodies, and the positions
are experts in their field of study.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
No, that's good to remember. So shouldn't parents be focused
on educating ourselves about illnesses that impact us and our children.
I mean, you talk about in your book, there's so
many illnesses that can have a different or disproportion effect
on us. Either we suffer from it more or sometimes
(18:05):
we suffer from it a little differently. And we've definitely
heard statistics about black adults more likely to die from
heart disease and strokes in their white counterparts, But there
are lot of statistics about children, Black children being more affected.
I mean, one that comes to mind is obesity. Black
children and teens are fifty percent more likely to be
obese than white children and teens and as parents, we
(18:26):
should know this when we meet with doctors. Shouldn't we
be armed with this kind of information?
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Absolutely, we should be armed, And I think what's important
is making sure that we're getting the information from a
source that is accurate. We know that there are a
lot of sources of misinformation out there, so I think
parents they can visit websites of professional pediatrics organizations or societies.
(18:51):
The National Medical Association, which is the largest black physician organization,
has a lot of very important information on their American
Medical Association also, so I really encourage parents to do
their research. Health literacy is important not just for ourselves,
as you know, as individuals, but for our children as well, because,
as you mentioned, there are many diseases that are afflicting
(19:14):
our young people and our children that we actually can
do something about.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
That's so true, and just so parents understand, it's not
we don't have to go in defensively with this information.
It's not as if we need to feel like there's
something wrong or we have to be more concerned about
our children. We can't look at these statistics and get
defense about them, like obesity and things like that. We
just have to know that they exist. And make sure
(19:40):
that we talk to our doctors about what we can
do about this and how they can help us help
our kids.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
Yes, and that having that knowledge will enable us to
have more effective conversations with our pediatricians and our physicians
about like what are the next steps, what can we
do to either prevent or you know, or these illnesses.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
That's so right, And I should also mention sickle cell.
I mean, you talk about it in your book, and
we've heard from so many different sources that this is
such a painful disease and people in crisis can have
difficulty getting the medication they need because doctors believe that
people are just trying to get drugs, or they think
by people don't feel the pain is not as bad
(20:24):
as they're saying it is.
Speaker 1 (20:26):
It is.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Heartbreaking. Although I will say very quickly, I don't know
if you follow this television show The Pit.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
That's so funny. I was actually just talking about it
during my last interview. I haven't watched it because as
an emergency medicine position, I actually don't watch medical.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Problems a little too close to home.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
Yeah, I've heard wonderful things about it.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
Well, the one wonderful thing I will say quickly, and
this relates to sickle cell. In one of the episodes,
a patient presents in the emergency room writhing in pain,
and she shackled to the gurney because the e MT
said she was she was uncontrollable, and they were treating
her as if she was.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Someone in the throes of withdrawal.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
I mean, they were really harsh with her, and the
doctor how happened to be a doctor of color, comes
to try to help her, and in between the yells
of anguish, the woman gets out that I have sickle cell.
And immediately this doctor says, stop, unshackle her. Let's give
her this amount of morphine. And the other doctors say
that's so much morphine. It's like, give it to her,
(21:28):
this is what she needs. I was really impressed that
it's like a public service announced, that they were able
to convey both the ability to misinterpret and the sort
of almost blithe misinterpretation of this war patient's problem, and
that they had a doctor that knew what to do
and did it was culturally appropriate, with culturally understanding, and
(21:49):
did the right thing. I have to say it was impressive.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
The one told me they said, oh, the writers must
have read your book. That's exactly right.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
I'm sure when I read your the passage that you
wrote about that in your book.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
I was like, ah, the pit.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
So just a few more practical tips for parents once
they've identified the pediatricians they want to take their children to.
Are some practical tips that can make a difference. Like
one friend was telling me that she videotaped her baby's
symptoms because you may present a child that was having
some horrible thing a minute ago and now they seem fine.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
I mean, yeah, I.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
Have done that with my own children and they're pediatricians.
So yes, there's so much we can say about technology
today that you know, not great sometimes, but definitely if
there are symptoms that are concerning that are not constant,
but you know, but maybe not be happy in the
doctor's office, you want to make sure that you catch
those video beforehand. And then also I think making sure
(22:47):
that your children's teachers know about any medical issues that
your children may be having, or just to be observant.
So sometimes when my children are having you know, maybe
bad allergies, I'll actually send a message to the teacher
and say you just keep an eye out for Ellington.
He may not be able to do recess today. So
I know I'm always in constant communication also with their teachers.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
That's that's really really good advice.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
So just a couple of more questions, Doctor Blackstock. When
I think about our encounter with doctors with our children,
I also think about how we are teaching our children
to navigate healthcare. So how do we how do we
talk with them about the healthcare system. I mean, you
talk in your book about the deep mistrust that so
many black people instinctively have of the medical system, and
(23:32):
we get over that. We take our children to the doctors,
but the question is, Okay, you've got a nervous child.
They have to get a shot or something, you know,
and there's nothing an emergency about it. There's just something
that has to happen. Should we be focused on presenting
a united front with the doctor to calm our children,
or if we have any questions or issues, should we
be teaching our children how to speak up and advocate?
(23:54):
I mean, I guess what I'm trying to get at.
As in a good doctor patient relationship, there is respect
on both sides. And if we as parents get so
caught up in trying to make sure that no, bad
things are happening to our kids. We might be unintentionally
conveying some sort of mistrust that our children.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Are picking up.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Yeah, what do you think about maintaining the sort of
balance in that relationship.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
That's such a great question. And what I do when
my kids they could go to the doctor is I
try to, like, I sit with them, I explain to them,
what's going to happen. You know today's visit. You know
these three things are going to happen. Yes, you're going
to get a shot. What can I do to make
you feel comfortable? Like do you need to sit on
my lap? And then I also when the doctor's there,
(24:41):
I also explain the doctors saying something and they look confused.
The kids, I'll like, okay, this is what they mean.
So I try to just make sure that I'm there
to support translate for them, I mean, because really, yes,
there is that respect in a good relationship. But at
the same time, I am their advocate, right and I
need to make sure that they are stated, that they
feel so comfortable and that they feel heard. Okay, And
(25:05):
yes there are times my older child he does not
like shots. I would just have to like it may
take longer than usual. But we're doing we're doing deep reading.
I'm hugging him, he's sitting on my lap. They're getting big.
We're doing what we have to do. And I just
tell doctor like, you just have to, you know, just
give us some time because he doesn't like needles and
(25:25):
most of them understand.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
So what do you think about the concept of recording
part or all of the doctor's visit? And I asked
that because normally, if you're involved in an illness and
it's your illness you, it's said that you should have
someone come with you because they can absorb what's happening,
and they're not in having the illness. They can they're
a better observer, and they can report back to you.
When it's your child, sometimes parents can get attached to
(25:50):
how their child is feeling that they can't absorb. All
the doctors saying great, What is the protocol for recording?
I mean, do you have to ask?
Speaker 3 (25:57):
Or I mean, oh yeah, Oh, you definitely have to
ask for permission, and I would I would always ask
because in some states, if you surreptitiously are recording someone,
that's actually illegal. But I also say, bring a notepad
with you, make sure you write down the notes. Make
sure you have also I always say if there are symptoms,
(26:20):
you know, symptoms, duration, questions, that you have write them
down before you go so that you can refer to
your notes. I think that is also very helpful.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Yeah, no, that's that's a good that's a good point. Okay,
final question. At the end of your book, you have
said that in thinking about whether you would encourage your sons,
your young sons, I mean they're really young now, but
to pursue a career in medicine, which makes all the
sense in the world, considering both your experience and the
medical profession, and what you know about black people's experience
in the medical profession. But as you note, and as
(26:52):
studies have shown, black patients treated by black doctors may
experience better overall health outcomes. For Maria to reasons, so
we need more black doctors. And so given that we
need more black doctors, how do we encourage I mean
taking this away from your sons, but how do we
encourage young people to consider medicine knowing how sort of
(27:14):
broken to some degree the system is.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
So I know, I feel very conflicted about this question,
just because I have in my vision like what the
system should look like, right, like what it's and even
that pipeline of from child to student to practicing position,
Like I think there needs to be a really holistic
pipeline if we're thinking about how do we create more
(27:37):
black positions and it doesn't just look like starting when
someone's pre med. That's too late. College is too late,
high school's too late. It really should start in preschool, right,
and we're thinking about very holistic like providing mentoring, sponsorship opportunities,
really extra tutoring because we know there's so much variability
(27:58):
in terms of the schools that might our kids go to.
Financial assistance. I would love to see public private collaborations
around how can we improve this pipeline, but also the
other issues that again, once our students get to you know, college,
medical school, they have to deal with environments that may
be inhospitable to them. So this is like very multi pronged. Yes,
(28:22):
they can get them there, but once they get there,
are they going to be supported? Right? So yeah, So
I think these are all the things that we need
to talk about. And one of my sons says, I
definitely want to do this. I would say, okay, let's
talk about like, how I could that support you?
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Right?
Speaker 3 (28:36):
What do you need looking out from getting mentors very
early on? Just something I wish I had been more
assertive about, right. So yeah, so just different things that
I've kind of learned along the way. But yeah, I
still would feel a little bit conflicted if they said
they wanted to be doctors. But there's also so much
other things that they can do. Although right now they
both say guess what, they say they want to be
(28:57):
basketball players, and I'm like, I like, really, I'm your
mom and you want to be a basketball player.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Okay, Well, all I can say, no pressure on your sons,
but if they had you as a mentor to help
them along the path, they would no doubt be excellent physician.
So so, doctor black Sock, I'm going to wrap it
up here. First, I want to say thank you so much.
There's so I could carry this conversation on for another
(29:25):
four episodes. There's so much to talk about. But I'm
sure the parents have really appreciated hearing all the great
advice that you've been able to give us, and i
just want to remind them that your book Legacy a
Black Physician, reckons with racism and Medicine is available at
bookstores and online everywhere, so please pick up a copy.
So there's one more thing before we go, And I'm
want to ask you as I ask all my guests
(29:46):
to play a quick game, the GCP Lightning Round, And
so I have four quick questions.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
Are you ready?
Speaker 3 (29:53):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (29:54):
So your favorite poem or saying O.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
My favorite poem is by Lucille's Black Woman's Poet. It's
called I Am Running into a New Year.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
I love that. I love her. I mean she's amazing, amazing. Yeah,
And give me two of your favorite children's books. And
they can be books that you and only read when
you were little or were read to you, or books
that you read to your sons or both.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
Okay, the ones I've read to my sons that I
love are The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear,
what do you see?
Speaker 1 (30:25):
I love them both?
Speaker 2 (30:27):
And okay, two final questions. A mom moment that you
would love to do over? And by that, I don't
mean it was so great that you want to do
it like you would do it differently? You could you
want to do over on it?
Speaker 3 (30:39):
No, I think more more like when my kids were
newborns like it was very much like, okay, what needs
to be done, as opposed to being in the moment.
I wish I could just like fit with them more
and look at their little faces. I get. I mean,
of course they're intent now, but I wish I had
been more in the moment when they were newborns.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
Those little I mean as the mother of a older, older,
older kids, I'm telling you, those moments go by like lightning.
It's crazy. And finally the moment when you nailed it
as a mom, where you knew you nailed it as
a mom.
Speaker 3 (31:12):
So I knew I nailed it as a mom when
my ten year old did a presentation about me for
a Black History Month. Yes, and I recently ran into
one of his classmates who said, I know you. You're Cameron's mom.
Cameron did a presentation on you, and I can't forget you.
So that was a true honor.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Oh my gosh, Oh that is definitely nailing it. Oh
so great. Thank you those are great answers. And thank
you again so much for being with us.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
Thank you for having me, Carol.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
I hope everyone listening enjoyed this conversation that you'll come
back for more. Please subscribe rate and a review where
you find your podcasts and tell your friends. For more
parenting info and advice, please check out the Ground Control
Parenting website at wwwgroundcontrolparenting dot com. You can also find
us on Facebook and Instagram at ground Control Parenting and
on LinkedIn under Carroll Sutton Lewis. Until the next time,
(32:07):
take care and thanks for listening.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.