Black Southern Doctors

Today, the mere thought of the “olde south” may bring images of magnolia trees and sweet southern tea to mind, but back in the days of the Jim Crowe law this southern story book image was a whole lot different. The show “Black Southern Doctors” explores the history of doctors within the Jim Crowe South.

The producers and writers of this show have spent an enormous amount of time researching and investigating doctors that attempted to work within the strict laws surrounding them during the time of southern slavery. Interestingly, this show is also a series of documentaries that attempt to follow various doctors throughout the centuries in order to accurately trace African American history.

The concept of “Black Southern Doctors” is the brainchild of Nephrologist Dr. Bill Cleveland, a practitioner out of Atlanta, Georgia. African American doctors have had to face many trials throughout their careers, and the stories that they have to tell are of great interest to any pre-Civil war buff. Dr. Cleveland has been working over the past three years in order to combine his historical research with that of filmmaker, writer and producer Toni Lee.

Each segment has been broken down into a three part series, one hour each, starting with the difficulties of education and medicine during the 19th and 20th centuries. Believe it or not, doctors were often persecuted and ridiculed during the southern slavery years, which means that the various equalities that occur today are a recent act. Even so, not every hospital within the United States treats African American doctors equally, and so the fight continues. This documentary series, along with the radio show, aims to be aired on PBS sometime during the year 2008. If you wish to get involved with the project, visit www.blacksoutherndoctors.com.