We are honored to have been recently invited to contribute an editorial to the June 2020 issue of The Dermatologist Magazine. This opinion piece gave us an especially important opportunity to share a united message calling for resolve, change, unity and hope, representing the Skin of Color Society (SOCS) and the Dermatology Section of the National Medical Association (NMA). This powerful piece was contributed by SOCS leaders, Drs. Lynn McKinley-Grant (President), Seemal R. Desai (Immediate Past President) and Donald A. Glass, II (Secretary-Treasurer), and Dr. Chesahna Kindred, also a SOCS member and Chair of the Dermatology Section of the NMA.

As excerpted from their editorial, “The SOCS and the Dermatology Section of the NMA are two organizations within dermatology that will continue to speak out against racial injustices, address societal inequities, and work to change the vast disparities in health care impacting people of color. And more needs to be done: better representation of people of color in clinical trials; all skin types being represented in medical education (textbooks, lectures, and journal articles); more questions about black skin in our board certification examinations; and an increase in the number of dermatologists of skin of color. It is encouraging to see and hear from so many people, from so many walks of life, that are moved by our current circumstances and are even more determined to seek equality, dignity, humanity, and respect for all.”

You can read the full editorial here. 

On a related note, we are deeply appreciative of the recent outpouring of interest and support from many corners to help advance our work to change the healthcare landscape for people of color through SOCS-led research, education, mentorship, and innovation in the field of skin of color dermatology.

We gratefully acknowledge the following sponsors who have come forward with recent contributions to help SOCS fulfill its mission:

Thank you very much for your support!

We are also pleased to report that in recent weeks, several media outlets have contacted us for comments and insights for stories about racial bias in dermatology/medicine and disparities in health care affecting people of color. We are proud and pleased to be a part of helping to raise public awareness about these critical issues on a much broader scale.

As we look forward, let us continue to move ahead together to make meaningful and lasting change. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please contact us: media@skinofcolorsociety.org