3 chapters across the catalog
Rizk Islam discusses Benjamin Rush, the "father of American psychiatry," who allegedly claimed that Black skin was caused by a mental disease called "negritude," which he described as a form of leprosy. The hosts use this to show how "science" has historically been used to justify segregation and the "othering" of Black Americans through medicalized racism.
Dr. Damon Tweedy, author of *Black Man in a White Coat*, discusses his experiences as a black medical student and doctor at Duke. He describes the "rude awakening" of realizing medicine is not purely objective and shares an anecdote about being treated dismissively by a fellow doctor until his professional status was revealed.
Dr. Damon Tweedy explains why he chose psychiatry, noting the significant stigma against mental health care in the black community. The hosts discuss how historical traumas like the Tuskegee study and the 1990s HIV/AIDS crisis (referencing Magic Johnson) contribute to a state of "skepticism" or "paranoia" regarding public health initiatives and vaccines.
