08/10/2020

American Academy of Pediatrics Reckons With Past Racism

The organization is confronting and apologizing for its actions

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is apologizing for past racism toward its first Black members, Dr. Alonzo deGrate Smith and Dr. Roland Boyd Scott, in a formal policy statement. Both were admitted to AAP in 1945, six years after their initial applications were rejected based on race.

To authentically move forward on an equity agenda—which includes advancing diversity and inclusion of leadership and members and setting out on a path toward tackling bias and discrimination—it was important to look within, said Joseph Wright, M.D., a member of AAP’s board of directors and chief medical officer and senior vice president at the University of Maryland Medical System.

“As a board, we really believe we needed to understand our own history before we could go out and live up to any kind of leadership role in this space as an organized medical group,” Wright said.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.