RCS England celebrates Black History Month

Throughout October, we’re celebrating Black History Month by sharing inspiring stories and experiences from our Black members, fellows, and colleagues. Across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter), we’ll highlight the achievements—past and present—of those who have impacted our surgical community.

Black History Month provides a great opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the voices within our surgical community. However, we also recognise the importance of ongoing efforts to spotlight minority voices and support under-represented groups. Many of our programmes that have stemmed from the Kennedy Review, an independent review of diversity and inclusion in 2021, support this; including our Grassroots in Surgery scheme, which provides partnership and funding to grassroots initiatives.

Below is a snapshot of some of the stories we will be sharing this month, showcasing Black surgeons and their contributions:

• Our October Bulletin includes a powerful account of fellows Dr Harold Moody and Dr Cecil Belfield Clarke, who led the UK civil rights movement by founding the first organisation advocating for Black rights in 1931. 
• A spotlight from Melanin Medics introducing the Lewin Programme, a career development initiative designed to support aspiring and current surgeons in the training of Black African, Caribbean, or mixed-race heritage practising in the UK.
• This episode of the Theatre Podcast from 2023 features Samantha Tross, the UK’s first Black female orthopaedic consultant, in conversation with RCS England's Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Corriene Bailey-Bearfield. They discuss personal journeys, social responsibility and the significance of #BlackHistoryMonth.

Want to share your own story or experience? We’d love to hear from you and continue the conversation:

• X
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Facebook