Patient/community members discuss race and racism. (2023)
Speaker 1: Do you think it’ll be better if you went to a doctor who had the Black grandma and said, “Yes. That’s how they get. I get it.” Or even a white doctor who could say, “This is how they get and it’s fine. I don’t feel threatened.” Would that be better that we didn’t have to change and we could talk like we talk at home?
Speaker 2: Right. Right. Right.
Speaker 1: The way we talk is not unprofessional. We’re just louder.
Speaker 2: No. You’re right. I don’t know.
Speaker 1: Would you like that? It’s funny because I am thinking the doctor that I said was creepy was white, but then Dr. [xxx], the one we love, he’s Black. He still is so professional. He’s not creepy, but he’s very stern and very ..
A more familial feel. If a doctor or even a dentist makes you feel like a family, makes feel like part of the family, that’s a way to make a person feel more comfortable.