Filmmaker, Crystal R. Emery is a playwright, author, and actress that is using her art to celebrate the "triumph of the human spirit." Her latest film, Black Women in Medicine, dives into the rapid world of medicine through the eyes of black women. The film features diverse stories from physicians such as Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first black woman to receive a degree in medicine, Dr. Joycelyn Elders, the first black U.S. Surgeon General and Dr. Jennifer Ellis, one of only six black female cardiothoracic surgeons in America.

Watch the trailer for the film:

This film is only the beginning of a much bigger initiative, which is to "increase the number of black doctors in the United States from 4.5 percent in 2016 to 7 percent by 2030." In the press release for the film, Emery says, “My goal with Black Women in Medicine is to illuminate the issues and inspire a new generation of women of color to become doctors, as well as to help build a legacy for increasing access to health care in minority communities across the United States.”

Emery is the embodiment of what Black History Month is all about. Her personal story is just as inspiring as those in the film. She is the founder of the arts nonprofit URU, The Right to Be, Inc, an organization that encourages using art as a tool for education. Emery is also an uninhibited activist speaking often on the intersection between race, gender and disability. And after becoming paralyzed due to a rare neuromuscular disease, Emery went on to perform in Off-Broadway, launched an educational campaign, writing children's books and obtaining a Master’s Degree in Public Engagement/Media Studies from The New School in New York City. Black Women in Medicine is her second feature film.

Black Women in Medicine will air on public television (WORLD Channel) on Wednesday, February 8 at 6 p.m.

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Crystal R. Emery

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