Black History Month 2024

Published: 01/10/2024

"Black History Month is an important time to celebrate the contributions of black anaesthetists and reflect on the significance of their work within our specialty and the NHS. This year’s theme, Reclaiming Narratives, underscores the importance of black voices and challenging the narratives that have often overlooked the achievements of black people.   

By recognising the history, contributions and challenges of black people, we celebrate the positive impact that the black community has had and help foster a deeper understanding of the rich diversity that strengthens our specialty and our society. It is my hope that this is happening in hospitals and anaesthetic departments across the UK, and I would encourage engagement and review of the events and resources we signpost to.”

Dr Claire Shannon, President 

At the Royal College of Anaesthetists, we are dedicated to supporting our fellows, members, staff, and patients from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities to ensure that they are recognised and valued. Our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee leads our work in this area, aligning to our core values of justice and fairness.   

As October marks the beginning of Black History Month 2024 we are eager to take the opportunity to spotlight our black members and relevant resources. This year’s theme Reclaiming Narratives emphasises the power of stories which shape how we understand our past and live our present.  

We invite our members to share their own stories with us. You are welcome to participate by tagging us @rcoanews on X, Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn. 

If you would like to share your experiences as a black anaesthetist or celebrate a black colleague by writing a blog, we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch with Rachel Yeager on ryeager@rcoa.ac.uk. 

We have shared some relevant resources below. If you have any suggestions for further resources we might add to the list, please let us know. 

Resources

We have shared some of our relevant resources below. In addition, members might find the following from other organisations of interest: 

Doctor

To Grow and Thrive Podcast
18 April 2024
In this episode of Anaesthesia on Air Dr Sekina Bakare hosts a discussion with Dr Desire Onwochei, Dr Sethina Watson and  Dr Daniel Olaiya on the experiences of Black Anaesthetists, managing microaggressions, promoting equity within anaesthetics, and anti-racist practices following the 'To Grow and Thrive' session at February Updates 2024.
Dr Rochelle Pierre smiles at the camera wearing dark blue scrubs and a light blue hair cap. She has on glasses with rimmed lenses and a bright smile.

The strength of our communities
18 January 2024
For Black History Month, Dr Rochelle Pierre spoke with our Media and Communications Officer Rachel Yeager, about the importance of community in empowering the individual.
Dr Thungo Kuwani is pictured looking into the camera while wearing glasses and a dark blue sweater.

Confidence and calm
29 November 2023
For Black History Month, Dr Thungo Kuwani spoke with our Media and Communications Officer Rachel Yeager, about confidence and calm as a black female anaesthetist.
Sethina (blog)

You can do amazing things
23 November 2023
For Black History Month, Dr Sethina Watson spoke with our Media and Communications Officer Rachel Yeager, about the importance of diverse role models, and ignoring doubters.
Photograph of Dr Felix Fombon wearing a suit against a pale background

Don't let your dream remain a dream
23 October 2023
For Black History Month, Dr Felix Fombon spoke with our Media and Communications Officer Rachel Yeager, about his life and career.
Dr Sekina Bakare

Being a minority of a minority
16 October 2023
For Black History Month, Dr Sekina Bakare spoke with our Media and Communications Officer Rachel Yeager, about why now is a great time to talk about issues that uniquely affect black women. 
Dr Sethina Watson speaking at Diplomates Presentation Sept 2023

Past, present and future
14 September 2023
Dr Sethina Watson gave the address at our Ceremony of Presentation of Diplomates on 8 September 2023. We share Sethina's inspirational words with gratitude.
GasReach Logo - Listing

GasReach
13 July 2023
GasReach is an exciting new collaborative project between the Widening Participation Medics Network (WPMN) and the Royal College of Anaesthetists which aims to increase diversity within anaesthesia.
Education, training and exams

Tackling disadvantage in medical education
7 March 2023
The GMC report on tackling disadvantage in medical education shows persistent inequalities in the progression of doctors in postgraduate medical training across the UK. In our response, our President and Chair of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee set out the action we are taking.
Black History Month

Black History Month: actions not words

28 October 2022
Our Director of Education, Training and Examinations Russell Ampofo speaks with Dr Desire Onwochei, Dr Daniel Olaiya and Dr Sekina Bakare about what Black History Month means to them.
Black History Month

What does Black History Month mean to you?

4 October 2022
To celebrate Black History Month, we are inviting black anaesthetists to share their experiences, as we reflect on what more the College can do to support the theme of Time for change: actions not words.
Doctor speaking to a patient

Improving the experience of anaesthesia for patients
5 August 2022
Council member Elisa Bertoja talks with Isa Khan and Veena Soni from PatientsVoices@RCoA about how to improve the experience of anaesthesia and perioperative care for Black, Asian and minority ethnic patients.
talking straight on racism listing image

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
17 February 2021
Our focus on advocating for and delivering equality, diversity and inclusion within the College and the specialties of anaesthesia, pain medicine and intensive care is fundamentally important to us.
Talking straight on racism - listing image

Talking straight on racism webinar
7 October 2020
This webinar features a conversation about racism in anaesthesia, medicine and beyond. Chaired by Russell Ampofo with contributions from Professor Ravi Mahajan, Dr Tony Sewell, Professor Mala Rao, Dr Sethina Watson and Dr Mali De Silva.
Sethina (blog)

“No, really, where are you from?”

25 June 2020
Dr Sethina Watson reflects on her experience as a black anaesthetist in training in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement.