Throughout history, racism has impacted nearly every corner of America. Research shows that racism is the root cause of many health disparities and inequities in our country. In dental education, racism has limited pathways and opportunities for students, faculty and other dental education professionals of color. You can see this in the representation of race and ethnicity of dentists, which does not adequately reflect the race and ethnicity of the patients in our communities. Nationwide, the racial/ethnic distribution of dentists is 17% Asian American, 6% Latinx, 4% Black, and less than 1% Native American. A similar pattern exists nationally for dental school faculty, where the racial/ethnic distribution is 12% Asian American, 7% Latinx, 4% Black, and less than .01% Native American. By comparison, the U.S. racial/ethnic distribution of the population is 6% Asian American, 18% Latinx, 13% Black, and 3% Native American. Exclusion and lack of representation are indications of racism. As dental professionals, there are three things we can do to recognize racism and to support positive change in our communities:
- Name racism and talk about it. We must acknowledge that racism exists, and that it is deeply imbedded in U.S. history and today’s society. Acknowledging racism starts with talking about it. To be anti-racist, one must actively fight racism in all forms: internalized, interpersonal, institutional and structural. To have effective conversations, we must teach dental school learners, leadership, faculty and staff about the deep persistence and impact of structural and interpersonal racism in dental education. More universities and colleges, including UCSF School of Dentistry, are requiring administration, faculty, students and staff to educate themselves on structural racism and anti-racism, and the importance of supporting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. This must become integral to our curricula, employee onboarding and training, and campus cultures.
- Model the behavior you want. Racism is a system, not a character flaw. It is the responsibility of all of us to become allies and sponsors for underrepresented minorities by identifying racism, unconscious bias and microaggressions. We must model behavior that will promote an equitable and inclusive academic community. We should support practices that encourage equity and a sense of belonging and incorporate those practices throughout dental education.
- Support diversity. A community with a critical mass of racially and ethnically diverse members encourages a sense of belonging, and in return, nurtures innovation. Becoming an inclusive and positive community will allow for everyone to contribute their genuine selves to all dimensions of dental education. Our power as a university and school is in our collective action to support diversity, which will spark greater representation, innovation, and advancement.
— George Taylor, Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, UCSF School of Dentistry
