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DiscussionReflections

Dear White People

Krys E. Foster, Christina N. Johnson, Diana N. Carvajal, Cleveland Piggott, Kristin Reavis, Jennifer Y. C. Edgoose, Tricia C. Elliott, Marji Gold, José E. Rodríguez and Judy C. Washington
The Annals of Family Medicine January 2021, 19 (1) 66-69; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2634
Krys E. Foster
1Department of Family and Community Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
MD, MPH, FAAFP
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  • For correspondence: Krys.Foster@jefferson.edu
Christina N. Johnson
2Overlook Family Medicine Residency Program, Summit, New Jersey
MD, PhD
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Diana N. Carvajal
3Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
MD, MPH
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Cleveland Piggott
4Department of Family Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
MD, MPH
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Kristin Reavis
3Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
MD, MS
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Jennifer Y. C. Edgoose
5Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin
MD, MPH
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Tricia C. Elliott
6JPS Health Network, Fort Worth, Texas
MD, FAAFP
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Marji Gold
7Department of Family and Social Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Bronx, New York
MD
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José E. Rodríguez
8University of Utah Health, Salt Lake City, Utah
MD, FAAFP
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Judy C. Washington
2Overlook Family Medicine Residency Program, Summit, New Jersey
MD, FAAFP
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Article Figures & Data

Tables

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    Table 1.

    Antiracism, Diversity and Health Equity Resource List

    AAFP Health Equity Curricular Toolkit https://www.aafp.org/family-physician/patient-care/the-everyone-project/health-equity-tools.html
    Edgoose J, Quiogue M, Sidhar K. How to identify, understand, and unlearn implicit bias in patient care. Fam Pract Manag. 2019;26(4): 29-33.
    Campbell KM, Rodríguez JE. Mentoring underrepresented minority in medicine (URMM) students across racial, ethnic and institutional differences. J Natl Med Assoc. 2018;110(5):421-423.
    Lewis M, Prunuske A. The development of an indigenous health curriculum for medical students. Acad Med. 2017; 92(5):641-648.
    The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Initiative Section on Health. https://latino.ucla.edu/issues/health/
    Edgoose J (ed), et al. Toolkit for teaching about racism in the context of persistent health and healthcare disparities. STFM Resource Library. https://connect.stfm.org/HigherLogic/System/Download-DocumentFile.ashx?DocumentFileKey=cf40991e-96e9-3e15-ef15-7be20cb04dc1&forceDialog=0.
    DiAngelo, Robin J. White Fragility: Why It’s so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism. Boston: Beacon Press, 2018.

Additional Files

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  • The Article in Brief

    Dear White People

    Krys E. Foster , and colleagues

    Background Members of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Minority and Multicultural Health Collaborative write an open letter to their white colleagues, as reflected in this essay.

    What This Study Found Authors discuss their experiences of being educated in unbalanced and biased academic systems, including medical schools. They also share how they have had to carry disproportionately higher financial debt due to student loans. And while physicians of color produce essential research highlighting gaps in care for underserved communities�and tools to address those gaps�they are undervalued, underpaid, denied career advancement, and experience daily micro- and macro-aggressions, according to the authors. As medical doctors who are also people of color, they write that they have had to bear the exhaustive burden of a minority tax, including assuming the responsibility of explaining and then fixing racism and associated inequities of racism in medicine while also balancing the complexities of "white fragility."

    Implications

    • Authors provide a list of specific actions that their white counterparts can follow to support and elevate the voices of all people of color to break down structural and systemic policies and practices that enforce a culture of racism, inequity, and bias.
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The Annals of Family Medicine: 19 (1)
The Annals of Family Medicine: 19 (1)
Vol. 19, Issue 1
January/February 2021
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Dear White People
Krys E. Foster, Christina N. Johnson, Diana N. Carvajal, Cleveland Piggott, Kristin Reavis, Jennifer Y. C. Edgoose, Tricia C. Elliott, Marji Gold, José E. Rodríguez, Judy C. Washington
The Annals of Family Medicine Jan 2021, 19 (1) 66-69; DOI: 10.1370/afm.2634

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Dear White People
Krys E. Foster, Christina N. Johnson, Diana N. Carvajal, Cleveland Piggott, Kristin Reavis, Jennifer Y. C. Edgoose, Tricia C. Elliott, Marji Gold, José E. Rodríguez, Judy C. Washington
The Annals of Family Medicine Jan 2021, 19 (1) 66-69; DOI: 10.1370/afm.2634
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