J U L Y 2 0 2 0 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T • 2 7
Blackie" on prefer-
ence cards because
of its size and black
coating. The staff did-
n't understand why I
was offended, so I
had to educate them
about the name's
derogatory connota-
tion. To their credit,
they immediately
renamed the device.
I was a neurosurgery
coordinator for 15
years at a pediatric
hospital. During a holi-
day party attended by
more than 100 guests,
I was the only African American in the room. A woman approached
and asked if I was one of the surgeon's secretaries.
I once arrived at a new facility to train as a surgical assistant stu-
dent. When I walked into an OR to help start a case, a nurse directed
me to two rooms that needed to be cleaned. Her whole demeanor
changed when the surgeon greeted me warmly and she realized I did-
n't work for environmental services.
At the end of a case, I asked a new nurse for the supplies I'd need to
close the patient's incisions. A white scrub tech — who had been
rather short with me during the entire procedure — told the nurse,
"Don't talk to the help," which is a pejorative expression based on our
race's history of servitude.
