Gene

Philosophy

Elitism

Economic Justice

Suffrage

Gender studies

Racism

Biochemistry

Champion

Black women

Civil rights

White (mutation)

Compromise

Politics

Political science

Epistemology

Sociology

Constitution

Representation (politics)

Medicine

Chemistry

Nothing

Voting

The Lancet

Historically, Black women have long been disregarded in the USA. The Three-Fifths Compromise of the US Constitution discounted Black women as only “part” of a human being, to be counted for congressional representation and direct taxation but nothing more. Even in prominent social justice movements, Black women have been excluded. Racism and elitism were embedded within the 19th-century and early 20th-century US women's suffrage movement, which prioritised white women over voting rights for all women. In 1913, the historically Black sorority Delta Sigma Theta marched in the Women's Suffrage Procession on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, but were segregated to the back and denied full participation in the parade. More recently, some feminist initiatives have failed to address racialised sexism against Black women. Black women have long been at the forefront of the struggle for justice and equality, yet their contributions have been largely overlooked in dominant social justice narratives. Similarly, a unique combination of demanding expectations and hyperscrutiny can constrict Black women in medicine. The medical profession does not confer special protections. Black women physicians are simultaneously considered superhuman, but never enough. We suggest this double bind leads to a sense of disquietude as Black women's identity conflicts with their success.

Superhuman, but never enough: Black women in medicine