Health Disparities: The New Civil Rights Issue

It should be no surprise that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965, three years before his untimely death, spoke of the health disparities of his day. While this fact was not at the forefront of his Human Rights Agenda he was indeed alarmed over the racial health injustices that were apparent to him as well as others. The disparities that alarmed him most were the high infant mortality rate and the low life expectancy rate for African Americans. In 1965 Dr King declared that health disparities would be the civil rights issue of the 21st century.

Indeed the concerns in health care for African Americans continue to exist today. African Americans are significantly behind in every major health outcome currently studied.

Heath disparities are complex and are caused by multiple reasons. Contributions to the scholarship fund will help African American students who have been admitted to MUSC, and plan to return to South Carolina to become health care professionals. I appreciate Select Health of South Carolina, Inc. for stepping up to be our primary supporter and making this scholarship effort possible. We are encouraged that the Medical University of South Carolina continues to advocate the recruitment, retention, and graduation of African American students so that they can also play a major role in closing the gap in health care. We say thank you to others who have stepped up to make African Americans a partner in solving the health disparities dilemma. Thank you, to the Closing the Gap in Health Care Committee, for your unselfish commitment to this project. Dr. King would be proud of our efforts. He had it right again.

If you didn't get a chance to read the article about the Gala in the Post & Courier Newspaper, here is the link.


I am Dr. Thaddeus John Bell --- Closing the Gap in Health Disparities for African Americans.

Bell Update Volume 3, Chapter 13
Copyright April 2008