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Black History Month honors the influence of African Americans on our nation’s history.
It grew out of the vision of historian, Carter G. Woodson, to counter the notion that African
American played an insignificant role in American History.
February was selected to honor the legacies of President Abraham Lincoln, who helped to
abolish slavery, and Frederick Douglas, an African American social reformer.
In celebration of the United States bicentennial in 1976, President Gerald Ford honored the
accomplishments of African American by recognizing Black History Month as an official observance
in the United States.
Watch now as several employees share their personal stories of being African American
at Mayo Clinic.
Being an African American woman, and not just an African American woman, but being the first
one in my family to graduate from college, have the opportunity to go to college, it
really, it inspired me and motivated me to do better, because I felt like I was carrying
the weight of others on my shoulders.
I wanted them to see, I wanted, you know, kids in my neighborhood to see, I wanted my
friends to see, people that grew up under my same circumstances to see and to realize
you can have better. And you can achieve better, and you don’t have to let your race or your
gender stop you from accomplishing any of your goals.
I grew up in a small town in Roxboro, North Carolina, very much like Rochester in terms
of being a very small, very tight-knit, very homogeneous environment — small tobacco
town, just about maybe 45 minutes or so west of the Raleigh–Durham research triangle
area. And my mom and my brother and I were the first African Americans to integrate the
school system. My mom was the first African American teacher and so that was certainly
a distinction but provided quite a rich experience for us growing up and helping us along the
path to move out into the world.
Throughout the early part of the 20th Century, African American families looking for, frankly
relief, from the circumstances of life for African Americans in the American south, looking
for, not just economic opportunities, but also looking for a way out of the deprivation
that was common.
When I was in college, several of my professors and advisors actually tried to encourage me
to go to medical school. But at that time, my image of a physician was an older or middle-aged
white man, and I had never, ever heard of a black physician, much less a black female
physician.
So when the opportunity arose to take what I knew in the technology arena and apply it
to solutions here at Mayo, it was not just an opportunity, a professional opportunity,
it was also an opportunity to bring me and my family a little bit closer to my family.
My role and responsibility that I hold here at Mayo Clinic is very inspiring. My father
was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds to play professional baseball, and the very next day,
he was drafted by the United States Army. And he never got to fulfil the dream of playing
a professional baseball sport, and that taught me to never give up, never to quit.
Just knowing that someone was there encouraging me, showing me the ropes, and telling me that
I could do it, was of great value as I went on in my career.
I give my mom a lot of credit for that. She even sacrificed her own education and dreams
to make sure that her children were taken care of. You know, there were times where
it got difficult and felt like I wanted to give up and you know, you have that, I think
everyone goes through those periods in their life. But just being able to take a step back
and to reflect, and just hearing, you know, “You can do this,” “You can make it,”
it was very inspiring all the way through.
I have been very fortunate to work with many different community members, to understand
the health needs of our community as a whole, especially the health needs of those that
are disproportionately affected by various chronic diseases.
One of the wonderful things about Mayo Clinic is that there are opportunities to have many
different types of careers at Mayo and under one roof, if you will, one organization. Our
experiences that we have, not only at Mayo, but out in the community being the face of
Mayo, and having members of our community really see the faces behind the Mayo Clinic.
I think that’s in itself very inspirational and certainly gives us an opportunity to excel
on multiple levels.
I believe that this can be an inspiration to the next generation because the next generation
should know that they should use their skills, talents and abilities to be able to positively
impact members of our community.
I’m grateful for what my ancestors endured, because it’s going to enable my children
to thrive, and that’s exactly the experience that I think all of us wish for ourselves
and our families.
It’s important that one of the legacies that I’d like to leave my learners with
is the fact that, you know, we are going to face challenges around diversity and inclusion,
but it’s being willing to talk about those is what changes the cultural landscape of
the communities in which we serve.
Although it may have seemed difficult or impossible to work for a world-class organization like
the Mayo Clinic, today my dreams have come true. It has not always been easy, but I believe
that, if given a chance, anyone can make the very best of their dreams. And today I’m
glad to say that Mayo Clinic gave me a chance, and I made the most of it.
Being mindful of recruitment efforts, and making sure that we have a diverse work pool
to develop leaders from, is essential. And then once you see strong talent and potential,
I think taking the extra effort to invest in those individuals, so that they, so that
they realize there may be opportunities, that they know that leadership is taking a genuine
interest in them. And that someone sees the talents that they have and that there is a
possibility they can grow in different leadership roles.
And for women, I really want us to remember that there are so many opportunities out there
for us and that we have to just go ahead and just try and be there for each other in order
to motivate each other to be successful.
I remember very vividly listening to the Saturday sermons, Saturday, yes, sermons of Dr. Martin
Luther King that would come through the radio, and being sort of inculcated with this notion
that it’s very, very important for each of us to fully take part in the, not just
in the American Dream, but also making our society a better place in which to live.