Historical Silences in Healthcare

We spent all week in classes discussing historical silences, specifically as they relate to higher education. As a biology major and a future graduate student in health policy I was able to connect my studies in this area to the readings for class about education. Many of the silences seen in healthcare are the same silences that are seen when discussing higher education. These silences are seen in groups such as African Americans and people of the LGBTQ+ community. Healthcare policy has historically been made by rich white men, the same group of people who make up the majority of college graduates. When people from the same social class or group are the ones making the laws, naturally there will be gaps in coverage. From my research into healthcare I believe that a lot of the silences that are created are unintentional,much like the ones that we have studied about education. There are gaps in coverage and quality care among patients of minority groups and for a long time these gaps went unacknowledged. Many of the readings suggested that the only way to fix these silences and institutionalized racism is to admit that they exist and then to try to fix them. I believe that the majority of society today is trying to right the wrongs that have been done and are trying to let the silenced be heard. In my studies in public health and healthcare there is a lot of research and work being done to help minority groups overcome the problems they face in order to recieve quality care. However, there is still much work to be done, and until these microaggressions and institutionalized racism’s are acknowledged in education and healthcare alike, the silences will remain silent and unfixed.