TED Talks have emerged as a popular way for non-professionals, interested fans, and social media consumers alike to access the knowledge and advice of experts across various fields. In this particular one, sociologist, legal scholar, and Black feminist Dorothy Roberts discusses her experiences as a Black woman with a White father while dealing with medical professionals. 

It was recorded at TedMed in November 2015 in Palm Springs, California. In the presentation, Roberts explains how inaccurate and unclear any medical research can be if it relies on socially constructed concepts like race. How does medicine best account for the variations in ethnicity, genealogy, and racial connectedness when someone identifies as Black or White but has parents who identify differently? The fact is, any medical research which uses race to address health concerns could be incomplete and less effective.

Watch the video below:

Author

  • Jenn M. Jackson was born and raised in East Oakland, California, a fact which motivates her writing and academic ambitions. She is a scholar, educator, and writer whose writing addresses Black Politics and civil and public life for young Black people with a focus on policing and surveillance. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of Water Cooler Convos, a culture platform for Black millennials. Her writing has been featured in Washington Post, BITCH Magazine, Marie Claire, EBONY, The Root, Daily Dot, The Independent, and many others. Jackson is a doctoral candidate at the University of Chicago studying American Politics with a focus on political participation and engagement, public opinion and social movements. For more about her, tweet her at @JennMJack or visit her website at jennmjackson.com.