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HHS Celebrates Black History Month at Parklawn

Dr.Roscoe Dandy, Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities, HRSA

Speakers at Black History Month events in the Parklawn building in February educated their audiences about the struggles of African Americans and inspired them with stories of accomplishments and achievements. At the Seventh Annual Black History Month Celebration, attendees heard from Dr. Roscoe Dandy of HRSA's Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (OMHHD) and Dr. Bill Robinson, who recently retired as OMHHD director and HRSA's Chief Medical Officer. Addressing the event's theme, "Holding Their Own — On Their Shoulders We Stand," the two speakers remembered individuals who made profound impacts on their lives, both as African Americans and as U.S. Commissioned Corps officers. The Feb. 8 event was sponsored by the Black Commissioned Officers Advisory Group. Dandy recalled his decades-long friendship with Dr. Hildrus Poindexter, a Tennessee native who overcame poverty and racial prejudice to become one of the world's foremost physician-scientists, and reminded the audience that Dr. Poindexter, in turn, had been influenced in his life by leaders such as Paul Robeson and George Washington Carver.

Dandy encouraged young Corps officers "to be thankful and to remember that someone decades ago took the hits and humiliation, but remained steadfast, so that you could gather here today."

Dr. Robinson spoke of the many mentors who helped him in his career and the importance of mentoring others. He urged younger Corps officers to look to more senior officers as mentors and invaluable resources as they progress in their careers.

A Feb. 20 interagency event featured Dr. Garth N. Graham, HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, and Royce Kinniebrew, president of an educational consulting firm, addressing the theme, "From Slavery to Freedom: the Story of Africans in the Americas."

Calling Black History Month a "celebration of what our ancestors have gone through and where we're heading," Graham spoke of his visit to Goree Island off the coast of Senegal, which served as the sending-off point for African slaves bound for America. He described the horror of the island — where families were separated, held in small cages, and forced through "the door of no return" and onto slave ships.

Graham said the experience of African Americans "is about all of the issues that go into making us truly free." He closed by reminding the audience that "we are all still on this journey" of freedom and asked them "to figure out where we are in terms of our own roles and responsibilities."

Royce Kinniebrew concluded the interagency event with a historical perspective on the African experience. Through slides and songs, Kinniebrew followed the accomplishments and contributions of African people from 1100 B.C. to the present day. "There was greatness before slavery," he said, and he encouraged African Americans "to walk with the pride of their history."

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