I Want to Start a Movement: There is Work Left to be Done.

In high school, I hated history. They wanted you to memorize dates. WHY? I finally appreciated the subject in grad school when I learned that the origin of worker compensation began with Pirates. They paid out the loot based on what body parts were lost in the fights!
I enjoy researching more about our history at KenCrest and recently found this about tuberculosis. In a book by the Lutheran Deaconess Community, I found a page extolling the mission of our dispensary. I was so happy to see that even then our mission was to offer care “without distinction of race or creed.” The fun part of the history I had not read was that our first board of managers were all women.
I am so happy that we remain attuned to our neighbors in need. We serve anyone who knocks on the door, and we celebrate what is unique about them! We still serve “without distinction” for difference. I learned a little about why it was so critical then. While everyone in Philadelphia had the risk of TB, the death rate in the Black community was 2.5 times higher than the white community. Disparate health outcomes continue in America today. I found this article from the Journal of the American Medical Association which describes the issue over time. Other articles published since then still report that we have not finished the work. Compounding the challenge is the long history handed down in our communities. If your family has a history of not getting good help, it is hard to believe that it will change. Change does not happen overnight, even when it is urgently needed. Racism exists in many forms; some of those forms are conscious and some are unconscious. Regardless of the form, it matters that we do our part to examine our practices and do our work to eliminate all forms of discrimination.
I am glad our mission has not wavered. We remain Lutheran affiliated. We continue to serve and put all our neighbors to work on the mission “without distinction to race or creed.” Sister Roeck would be happy to hear that.