by Sarah Gantz
Published Mar. 20, 2024, 5:00 a.m. ET Philadelphia Inquirer
A University of Pennsylvania initiative to increase the number of doctors from racial groups underrepresented in medicine has expanded to five other medical schools in the Philadelphia area.
The Alliance of Minority Physicians has worked for 12 years to recruit and mentor residents from underrepresented groups at Penn and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The program expanded last year to mentor medical students earlier in their careers at Temple, Jefferson, Drexel, PCOM, and Cooper, as well as Penn.
The new initiative, called Pathways to Excellence in Medicine, is part of Penn’s effort to improve diversity within its medical school and, ultimately, the physician workforce. Research has found that patients respond better to treatment when they share a similar background with their doctor, so a diverse physician workforce is critical to improving care in underserved communities.
Read More: https://www.inquirer.com/health/penn-alliance-minority-physicians-mentoring-program-20240320.html
Years ago, I answered the front door in Memphis, TN. to find two young African American kids standing near their push lawnmower. They were going around the predominately white neighborhood asking people if they had any work for them.
As I spoke with them, I learned that they had walked a long distance from their home on a very hot day. Though they had knocked on doors for several hours, they didn’t have a single dollar to show for their grit and determination.
Like many of our neighbors, we, too, had recently cut our front lawn. After seeing the disappointment in their eyes, I understood I could not send them away emptyhanded. They were doing exactly what society asked them to do – making an effort to earn money legally.
I gave the boys $20, not a handout but rather an investment in their business. My hope was they would continue to find the encouragement needed to remain on this path to entrepreneurship.
I’ve lived in both affluent and lower working-class neighborhoods – by choice. Anyone has done so is well aware of the privilege that comes with life lived in a wealthy zip code.
When you are poor or working class, other people often look down on you, and that can harden you and deepen frustration and resentment. I often felt that societal sting when I lived in a working class neighborhood in Upper Darby. Our broken mail boxes in our apartment complex at times were left wide open - exposing our mail, as well as private financial information. Drug dealers hung out in the stairwells. Our complex sent out a letter telling us that selling drugs was a violation of the lease. However, if we saw such encounters, we should call the police -- not them. One day, I called 911 to report a gunman chasing another youth - and firing shots at him. An officer arrives 15 minutes later to pick up the bullet casings from the street. No sirens. No canvassing. I never found out what happened to that boy being chased. But if his family feels outrage, I would certainly understand why.
We are each part of the problem because we looked the other way as this situation developed. Rather than confine ourselves to donating to charities providing temporary relief and assistance, we need to take intentional actions each day that break the cycle of violence and keep youth on the right track.
When they show up unexpectedly at our front door, we have to let them into our lives. We need to be part of the solution. That may mean:
Being willing to come back into the office to help increase pedestrian traffic in hotspots.
Helping out people in trouble. One night, I got off the subway stop at the wrong location. As I was walking home, a young man approached and told me he would walk behind me until I reached my destination. "I won't come up to where you are because I don't want to scare you," he said. I thanked him after I got home. He replied, "I hope someone would do the same for my mother or sisters." He was my guardian that day. Isn't it better to prevent crime rather than invest in new jails?
Being mindful of the assumptions we make about people who don't look like us or live in our neighborhood.
During the presidential election of 2020, my dog Gabby wore this sign in front the polling place. There had been reports that our precinct might be targeted by groups wishing to intimidate Black voters. Believe me when I say my dog did not want to stand in line with me for two hours while I voted, but she did. She provided much-needed comic relief and protection. When I went inside to vote, people waiting in line took turns watching over her.
That is what a community does - neighbors look out for each other.
Some of the most crucial conversations may occur between perfect strangers who meet online, at coffee shops, on playgrounds or at neighborhood meetings. These discussions often arise unexpectedly, in very casual ways.
The better prepared we are for these chance encounters, the more successful we will be in getting across our viewpoints. After all, people are more likely to listen to friendly and knowledgeable cultural ambassadors.
Successful dialogues require patience, a sympathetic heart and good communication skills. Competent cultural facilitators allow others to explain their beliefs and ideas. They ask thoughtful questions. They use civil voices to express outrage. They also practice self-control.
When we begin making nasty or offensive comments, however, we notify others that we aren't yet ready for primetime dialogues.
Below I've outlined a few techniques that allow us to effectively air differences and persuade our opponents.
• Choose our words carefully.
Language is a currency that can be used to build or to demolish relationships. Use words to lay a strong foundation. Talk in a way that promotes healing and honest conversations. Respect, understanding, common ground and empathy are words and themes that help inquiring minds stay open. Destruction, divisiveness, evil and hate are words that separate us and lead listeners to pick sides. Communicate in a manner that leads to productive results.
• Explain what we stand for.
We can win more friends and arguments by explaining what we stand for, rather than by talking about the things we oppose. Examples: We should not say that we are against racism; instead, tell others that we seek a nation where all people can excel. Don't say we are against religious discrimination; instead, say we value freedom. Don't say we are against the use of such cultural names as African-American; instead, say we are for a cohesive nation where all communities feel they are Americans.
• Practice the art of inquiry.
Ask thoughtful questions calmly. If we are trying to win the argument, then we aren't really listening — are we? So put aside all thoughts of victory. When we truly listen to opposing views, we show that we care about the issues. When people know we care about them, they listen to us.
• Invest our time well.
Don't spend a lot of time trying to change people who haven't altered a major position or opinion in 20 years. Instead, identify open-minded folks who continuously look for challenges. To advance racial, cultural and religious dialogues, we need skilled facilitators who can push us to grow. Whenever possible, participate in conversations that encourage self-reflection.
• Walk our talk.
Identify our own issues and fix them. Next, share our spectacular strategies with others. Instead of voicing constant complaints about other people or groups, let us count all the ways we are making life better for them. People who continuously blame outsiders for problems within their cultural group lack the credibility needed to influence others.
• Focus on our group first.
Diversity movements get stuck because cultural communities frequently strive to fix other groups before focusing on their own weaknesses. Some black people think white Americans need to change. Some white Americans think Latinos should change. Christians ask Muslims to change and vice versa. Cultural leaders should focus on changing behaviors among their own group's members.
• Perform cultural audits.
Members of diverse societies must upgrade their skills sets. We need new maneuvers for our playbooks. Cultural audits enable us to determine when our actions are inconsistent with our words or intentions. Audits expose our hidden biases.
I love my eclectic neighborhood, in part because it gives me an opportunity to view life through differing lenses. This morning, two women are studying for exams in the comfy lobby. Neighbors sometimes gather to listen to music or watch TV on the big screen. The channels change constantly, reflecting the building's generational and racial diversity.
For the most part, neighbors greet and acknowledge one another. When I first arrived, I moved a lot my household goods on a garden cart wagon. My old apartment was just a mile a away. Instead of renting a car, I bought a wagon and walked my smaller items - including my cat- over to the new apartment. (Take that, climate change.)
As I entered my new building, looking a little like a bag lady, my new neighbors smiled and greeted me warmly. They didn't make assumptions because I had decided to move by wagon. Instead, they rushed to open the doors so I could get the cart inside. A few volunteered to help me carry heavy items.
Community safety is not a topic that can be left to the police to solve. It is the community's responsibility, and each of us has a role to play.
Here are a few of the lessons I've learned from my neighbors.
1) Get to know your neighbors. Look out for them. Be available to help.
2) Be available for friends who are experiencing trauma or going through a difficult time. After my dog Gabby died, friends reached out to me and listened to my endless supply of Gabby stories. I wouldn't have survived that loss without them. When people are showing signs of mental distress, try to listen without interrupting them. Offer encouragement.
3) Put those car keys away and walk to the grocery store, pharmacy, or the park - if it is feasible The more pedestrians we have out on the streets, the safer we become. Stay in well-lit areas and on streets with other people.
4) Remain aware of your surroundings. If you are looking down at your phone as you walk or ride the train, you become an easy target.
5) We need fewer guns and more courage and compassion. A couple of decades ago, I was lugging around a lot of packages when these three teens approached from behind. I didn't see them but another passenger on the platform did. All of a sudden I heard this calm yet booming voice behind me: "I wouldn't do that if I were you," a man said to the teens. He went on to tell them that he had made a mistake when he was young, and had paid for it dearly. "I don't want that to happen to you," he said. They looked at him, then walked away from me. He created an opening for them to save face, and they took it.
6) Have a walking buddy. It could be a dog, or a person.
7) Look at people approaching you in the eyes. Don't look down or glance away. Muggers are less likely to attack someone who took a long look at their face.
8) Let's resolve to stop limiting our safety concerns to our own neighborhoods. Find ways to support communities that are facing the greatest struggles with hopelessness, fear and violence. In the long run, those compassionate actions and sacrifice can accomplish more than adding guards at the corner.
9) Be a champion for all of Philadelphia's children. It should not matter if you are related to them.
10) Support the greater good, not just your own financial interests.
The best part about living in Philadelphia is that we always have lots of stuff to talk about whenever we leave town.
I travel a lot in my business, and people are always interested to hear what we are up to and how things are going. Philly's tough image intrigues them.
For writers, there are few cities better suited for the craft than Philadelphia. This town has a distinct culture and an in-your-face personality. We make others feel at home by sharing our intimate thoughts. It is a fact that strangers here dispense more advice than pharmacists. Over the years, passersby have told me they didn't like my lipstick color and my outfit, I should take off my weave (it is not a weave), my shoes were awful and I should smile more.
My most interesting street encounter came once when I was walking home from the grocery store. A young man I had never seen before came up to me and put his hand on my rump, and I'm not talking about my roast here. Then he smiled as though he were waiting for my phone number.
"I can arrange for you to spend the night in jail, if you wish," said I, with addytude. "Just try that again." You should have seen his expression. "Oh, you must be from New Jersey," he said.
Excuse me? Given all this, it might surprise you to know that of all the places I have ever lived, Philadelphia is among my favorites. Why? The people make it special. OK, maybe we have our priorities skewed and we ought to be more outraged by inadequate school funding than hoagie bans but, at this moment, I am willing to overlook that fact.
People here are real. What you see is what you get. They don't pretend to be something they are not. I don't think we should get mad when people poke fun at us because the city dares to be so different. Things could be much worse.
As a cub reporter, I asked a new city manager in Germantown, Tenn., if he had moved into the fashionable suburb in which he now worked.
"No," he said, adding that he had moved to Memphis. "There is too little diversity in Germantown," he said. "It reminds me of two pieces of white bread with mayonnaise in between." Not long thereafter, he received an invitation to resign.
The moral of this story is that Philadelphia should tout and sell its quirky culture. After all, what tourist wants to visit a city that looks just like the one he left?
Still, out-of-towners need a little help getting used to us. I thought I might offer them some tips for getting along:
When you need directions, look for a city dweller with a smile on his or her face. Confront natives wearing frowns at your own risk.
If a Philadelphian criticizes your clothes, hair or makeup, be grateful. For us, criticism is an act of acceptance and love. It explains how we can claim, truthfully, to be "The City of Brotherly Love."
If you run into a menacing cast of characters, thrust your fist into the air and yell, "Long live the hoagies." People around you will immediately think you are crazy, and call the police for you.
If you want to fit in with the locals when you go out on the town, complain about issues such as trash (we're against it), snow removal (we're for it), and toss in the fact that cops don't want us to park cars in the middle of busy streets (we're certain this is addressed somewhere in the Bill of Rights).
Enjoy your stay. If you like us, we have extra room. Besides, we need help paying the high taxes.