Independence Day Thoughts From a Psychiatrist

POETRY FOR INCLUSION

Happy Independence Day!

As we celebrate freedom in the land that prides itself on the tenants of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, I harken back to Frederick Douglass’s words, “I must mourn.” I would invite us to ponder the following questions: What does independence look like in a country in which the caste system flourishes? Are communities truly free from a crown decorated with enslavement in the forms of health disparities?

Here is some food for thought in the form of a haiku:

Freedom paradox

and a pensive Douglass sighs

bondage still prevails

Dr Clark is clinical assistant professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine-Greenville and medical director & division chief for Adult Inpatient and Consult-Liaison Services for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Prisma Health-Upstate. He currently serves on the APA Task Force to Address Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry as well as the Diversity & Inclusion Section Editor and Advisory Board member for Psychiatric Times^TM.