Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) Past President Brian Bachelder, MD, FAAFP, created this beautiful foiled stained glass piece to present to Ohio native Ada Stewart, MD, when she became president of the American Academy of Family Physicians in the fall of 2020.
When asked about the inspiration behind his work of art, Dr. Bachelder said, “Although recently in America the raised fist has become a symbol for the Black struggle for civil rights, its symbolic history actually goes back to the 19th century when the gesture was used to represent the courage of revolutionaries against the European monarchies. It was used as a symbolic gesture during the 1848 French Revolution against the king, and later in the 1930’s during the Spanish Civil War,” stated Dr. Bachelder.
“My first recollection of it was during the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City when Tommie Smith and John Carlos stood on the podium after placing first and third in the 200 meter sprint and raised their black gloved hand skyward during the national anthem,” Dr. Bachelder continued.
When Olympic medalist Mr. Smith was interviewed by Smithsonian Magazine in 2008 he was quoted as saying, “[It] was a cry for freedom and for human rights. We had to be seen because we couldn’t be heard.”
“The symbol has been used by the Black Panthers, feminists, LGBTQ persons, Nelson Mandela, and Senator Bernie Sanders. It is inextricably linked to all forms of social unrest and the search for empowerment and justice,” stated Dr. Bachelder.
The Voices in Humanism initiative is a collaboration between The Ohio State University (OSU) College of Medicine’s Gold Humanism Honor Society Resident Chapter and the OSU Medical Heritage Center. The mission is to collect, preserve, and share the arts created during this challenging time. Students, residents, faculty, staff, alumni, and all members of the healthcare family submit all forms of visual arts, writing, and music to the collection. To view the growing collection, visit the Voices of Humanism webpage.
The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) is partnering in this initiative by highlighting pieces of work each week in the Weekly Family Medicine Update, as well as on the Joy Among Chaos webpage. If you would like to contribute to this collection and share your own piece of work that reflects thoughts during this time of dual pandemics as we struggle to understand the impact on our patients, their families, our communities, our profession, and ourselves, we encourage you to do so. Submissions may be emailed to LCStoneMD@columbus.rr.com.
Financial support for this program is provided by the AAFP Foundation Philanthropic Consortium (FMPC) which is funded by members like you! Help programs like this continue to support family medicine by giving to the FMPC. Select “Chapter Grants” when making your gift online. Thank you!