Black History Month

Black history is more than just a month, but February matters. 

Black History Month is an important reminder of an ongoing commitment to honoring and celebrating Black History and Black Bioethics throughout the year. The Department of Bioethics & Humanities’ mission is “Health through Social Justice.” Upholding this mission depends on recognizing how anti-Black racism and intersecting axes of oppression continue to operate at interpersonal and institutional levels in bioethics and healthcare more broadly. It also depends on centering and supporting the incredible work of Black bioethicists and efforts in the field towards restorative and transformative justice. Community is critical to this work. As Angela Davis said in Freedom is a Constant Struggle, “It is in collectivities that we find reservoirs of hope and optimism.” 

As a department, we hope to create space this month for everyone to honor and celebrate Black History and Black Bioethics in ways that are most meaningful to them. There are many outstanding Black History Month resources to engage with: please see our website and the Whole U for some inspiration. In addition to this, there will be a B&H event at the end of February to create space to come together as a community to celebrate each other, share meaningful resources or work related to Black History or Black Bioethics, and plan for carrying this work forward throughout the year. 

– joint statement of Bioethics and Humanities Department Interim Chairs Drs. Malia Fullerton and Tom Gallagher, and Dr. Gina Campelia, Chair of the Bioethics and Humanities EDI Committee. 
 

In Bioethics and Humanities Department

Watch the recording of our own Dr. Gina Campelia's presentation about understanding the social and ethical roots of our present conversations about health inequalities, along with Holly Vo, Gail Henderson, and moderator Jennifer James.

For Black Employees and Students

• Sign up to participate in UW Medicine's Black affinity group (or other identity-based affinity group)
• Review resources for dealing with toxic racism
• Report biased behavior using UW's Bias Incident Reporting Tool (please note this is not a confidential form, and anyone may submit a bias report)

Celebrate Black History and the Black Community 

• Read The Facts (one of the first Black oriented newspaper in the Pacific Northwest)
• Stay informed regarding issues and events that affect and enhance the quality of life in the African American and minority communities by reading The Seattle Medium
• Attend events from the Northwest African American museum
• Check out these Seattle events to celebrate BHM in 2023 curated by Seattle Met

Learn more about Black history 

• Sign up here to get an email each day this February that reviews the legacy and future of Black history in the US.
• Explore Black History Month through the lens of Bioethics with this events series from Harvard Medical School and Tuskegee University 
• UW President Cauce's 2022 statement about Black History Month
• African American history timeline
• Seattle African American Cultural Heritage guide 
• Attend a UW POD class
• Department of Bioethics and Humanities anti-racism webpage 

Take action and support the Black community

• Support Black-owned businesses
• Donate to UW's Black Opportunity Fund