WE AS A SOCIETY need to do better at combating implicit bias and racism. We can start in our own industry by really listening to — without dismissing or qualifying — the real life experiences of our BIPOC peers and colleagues. As a start, Dr. Adam Ramsey, owner of Socialite Vision in Palm Beach Garden, FL, and co-founder of Black Eyecare Experience, has compiled testimonials of his fellow Black optometrists who share their stories of being Black in America.
“I posted online how my life has been effected [by systemic racism] and numerous people not in the eyecare field responded with ‘Well, you’re not one of those type of Black people, so your experience would be different,’ as if being a doctor shielded me from the effects of racism,” says Ramsey. “But when I am in a store, or on the side of the road, no one knows my profession. I am Black and I could be George Floyd or Travon Martin or Corey Jones.”
In order to combat the diminishing of his lived experience because of his professional achievements, Dr. Ramsey asked other doctors in his Black Eyecare Perspective Group to tell their story of being Black in America.
“That is the video you see today,” he explains. “We have more to share and do but we’re doing it slowly as hearts and minds change.”
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To learn more about Black Eyecare Perspective and how to help fight implicit bias and systemic racism in the eyecare industry listen to our recent podcast with Dr. Ramsey and Dr. Darryl Glover here.
Watch the video: