让历史上被排斥在外的人在媒体行业中发挥领导作用，意味着将他们的才能以及他们的生活经历推向前台。讲述他们独特的故事往往意味着观众有机会与代表他们自身道路的人物或头条新闻建立更深的联系；否则，他们的道路可能会被忽略。最近一个完美的例子是，在 2021 年末，一个影响黑人社区的重要健康问题成为了焦点--我指的不是 COVID-19。
For those that haven’t binged Amazon Prime’s new show Harlem, episode seven, aptly titled “The Strong Black Woman,” hits a little too close to home.
[Spoiler alert: this paragraph contains spoilers from Harlem.] The Harlem crew’s resident boss Tye, portrayed by Jerrie Johnson, is trying to push through crippling abdominal and back pain until finally she ends up having emergency surgery. The diagnosis? A ruptured cyst. And the suggested treatment? A hysterectomy. From the doctor’s hesitancy to prescribe appropriate pain medication to the dismissive approach to a potentially life-altering course of treatment, this episode was tragically a very relatable portrayal of disparities in Black women’s health care.
2013 年，我被诊断出患有同样痛苦的常见疾病：子宫肌瘤。我的亲身经历围绕着一次长达六个小时的手术，切除了多个直径从高尔夫球到柚子大小不等的良性肿瘤。我记得在接受手术（即子宫肌瘤剔除术）之前，有人轻率地建议我 "生个孩子吧"。我还记得手术前后的紧张和焦虑。我还记得手术后当地药店没有开足止痛药，而我的医生在我术后就诊时得知我在家休养时只服用了三天的止痛药，他非常气愤。
While Tye’s case demonstrated the disruptive impact of ovarian cysts, her story was also closely relatable to me—and the 26 million women between the ages of 15 and 50 that develop uterine fibroids, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. For Black women in particular, reproductive health conditions and the ongoing obstacles to compassionate, informed and effective treatment that too often accompany them, are a common part of life. How common? Nielsen Scarborough data shows that Black women between the ages of 35 to 49 are nearly six and a half times more likely to have been diagnosed with fibroids.
And the percentage of young Black women impacted by fibroids is staggering—especially considering the emotional toll of the diagnosis along with the physical symptoms. A recent study in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology found that the stressors related to a fibroids diagnosis can be just as debilitating as a diagnosis of heart disease, diabetes, or even breast cancer. Groups like The White Dress Project have been working for years to raise awareness, advance legislation and provide a support network for those living with fibroids and seeking treatment. But the power of representative storytelling in both scripted television and news content ensures an even greater reach on this topic; one that remains largely silent outside the Black community and Black media.
Nielsen’s recent Being Seen On Screen report revealed that programs with Black women in the writer’s room delivered content that not only centered Black women on screen, but also offered different context in how they were portrayed. On a program like Harlem, that’s created, led and mostly written by Black women, it’s no wonder the impact of this pervasive health crisis and the obstacles many of us face seeking treatment became a centerpiece of a character’s story. But their program wasn’t the only one to boldly confront key issues facing Black reproductive health last year. Tiffany Cross, host of MSNBC’s Cross Connection, revealed she underwent the oft recommended hysterectomy to end her years-long battle with fibroids. It was the first time I’d seen the details of the condition, let alone this course of treatment openly discussed by an anchor on TV.
So little about how these conditions develop—and why they impact Black people at higher rates—remains unknown. But television can play an important role in raising awareness as well as empathy. Importantly, Black women are twice as likely to seek out TV content where they’re seen on screen. This means there’s an opportunity to amplify the need for research, prevention, and less invasive procedures—as well as normalizing consultative and nondiscriminatory care.
正如你们在这个黑人历史月以及对健康和保健的关注中所看到的，要解决医疗保健中的不平等问题，还有很长的路要走。但我希望，随着有意义的多样性不断渗透到媒体行业，我们将继续看到黑人女性突出差异并激励变革。
