In response to the story of a Black physician, Dr. Susan Moore, who died from COVID-19 due to her medical team’s lack of adequate care and compassion for a woman of color, Vice President Elect Kamala Harris tweeted:

“This tragedy is all too common for Black women across our nation whose concerns and pain are often downplаyed or ignored in our health care system. We must do better. Our administration is committed to confronting these glaring racial health disparities.”

As a community that functions as individuals, Dr. Susan Moore’s fate will continue to be the fate of Black people. We educate ourselves and work hard to get to a position where we can take care of our loved ones and advocate for those who can’t advocate for themselves. We think we’ve pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps, and that we’ve made it to a level of success. But, what have we accomplished? How powerful are our accomplishments if we still have to beg and plead to be given adequate medical care when we are deathly ill? What have we accomplished if we lack power and are seen as disposable and not deserving of the same health, wealth and opportunities as other humans?

I’m an emergency medicine physician and I trained in my hometown, Detroit, Michigan. Working in the emergency department, I’ve seen a lifetime’s worth of people suffering and dying and I’ve been able to provide relief and life saving treatment to many. Despite my professional training and knowledge of how hospitals function, I sometimes find myself at a loss when dealing with the healthcare system.

Dr. Moore’s situation reminds me of an experience I had earlier this year. I, along with a family member, advocated for my uncle who was receiving subpar care at a hospital I trained in. Despite my advocacy, the hospital that I worked in as a medical student refused to give my uncle the same type of care I gave the patients I treated at that facility. Needless to say, I was frustrated. I was hurt. I was enraged. I spoke to the team taking care of my uncle. I spoke to the heads of the hospital. I had meetings and debates. The responses were inconsistent and lackluster. There was no true concern or urgency to provide reasonable care to a patient in need. The patient didn’t matter, the family didn’t matter and the advocacy of a trained Black physician didn’t matter. My uncle continued to receive subpar care and he departed this life without the medical treatment he deserved.

About “I Am Defining Me”: I Am _ is an affirmation that “I Am Defining Me” and I will celebrate myself by naming the many characteristics I personify. The creators of the I Am Defining Me movement name who they are, embody that definition and allow it to empower them to reach their goal of building health equity and generational wealth in the Black community, utilizing cannabis.

On the heels of the inauguration, the founders of “I Am Defining Me” fuel themselves and others with the strength of their shared identity with the future VP as they set about building health equity and generational wealth in the Black community. Professionals in a variety of industries, the founders have come together to ensure generational wealth and true wellness are finally realized for a people that have been disenfranchised since they arrived in this country. And what’s more, the tool these accomplished professionals are using is cannabis.

The creators of the movement, members of the Cannabis Health Equity Movement (CHEM) and 40 Acres And A Dispensary, believe that through their strategic planning, passion, and purposeful work they can create a “Wakanda” of sorts where the economy is built utilizing cannabis. Dr. Angela Ledbetter, MD describes her Wakanda simply as “unity” amongst her people and she believes that unity should be centered around “that vibranium we call cannabis”. Another leader of the movement, Dr. Ogadinma Obie, MD, describes her “Cannabis Wakanda” as “wealth, evidence-based medicine, and health consciousness fully restored to a benevolent community of the historically oppressed and allies”. Dr Obie believes such a country can be realized with “Vice President Elect Kamala Harris and President Elect Joe Biden being the leaders that move us toward the advancement of health, wealth, and community” and the movement plans to hold them to that seemingly idealistic task.

At iamdefiningme.com, the I Am Defining Me movement is inviting you to celebrate your shared identity with Kamala Harris, whether it be through your affiliation with an HBCU, your Black Greek membership, or your belief that Black people deserve the same health, wealth, and opportunities as all people. By celebrating your identity and making a donation to the movement, you will receive a unique I Am Defining Me apparel gift of either Historic, Divine or One designation to proudly wear on Inauguration Day with your head held high in unity with our Vice President Elect. With your donations, the creators of I Am Defining Me will continue to expand the work they do to:

I Am Defining Me partners plan to facilitate increased industry participation by developing educational materials, experiential activities, resource guidance, workforce and entrepreneurial support services, and opportunities to influence legislative reform.