Leonard Vernon, D.C., M.A.
Journal of Philosophy, Principles & Practice of Chiropractic ~ December 29, 2016 ~ Pages 39-47
Abstract
While there are recent reports of increased utilization of chiropractic services among the general population this increase does not carry forward to the African American (AA) population. The failure of the chiropractic profession to reach out to this greatly underserved population may rest in the fact that graduate chiropractors choose not to practice in areas that are heavily populated by minorities because of economic decisions, a decision that is not isolated to chiropractic.
For a profession that is so inextricably linked to African Americans the profession has historically failed to reach out to this population, both for the health benefits chiropractic might offer them as well as for student recruitment. A lack of African American mentors appears to be one reason.
While there have been some inroads in the area of student recruitment and in the recruitment of minority faculty and administration, the profession and its relationship with African Americans has been and remains poor. This paper examines this historical relationship between African Americans and chiropractic.
Key words: Chiropractic, utilization, racism, African American, minorities, education
