Reflecting on Black History Month at Cooper

Over the past few years at Cooper, our focus during Black History Month has been on the people who have shaped our organization into what it is today. We have highlighted historic pioneers like Dr. Bascom Waugh and community leaders like late board member Joan Davis, as well as current Cooper employees who are impacting health care near and far through military service and medical mission trips abroad.

The theme of this year’s Black History Month, “Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity,” explores the African diaspora, the spread of Black families across the U.S., and the wide-ranging diversity of Black family life. We encouraged our team to share their reflections during Black History Month – their personal thoughts on Black culture, contributions, and achievements and their family’s story – on our internal social media channel.

Through our Schwartz Center Rounds, we also welcomed a conversation with our new Vice President of Diversity and Talent Acquisition, Ardella Coleman, MHR, MBA, Diversity CDE, CMP, on the topic of “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going.” Soon, she will also bring us “Conversations With a Black Man,” a short conversation between herself and Cooper trauma surgeon Dr. John Porter, where she will ask him about his experience as a Black man and his experiences as a Black doctor. Through this video, he will share his perception, and how he experiences the world through the perceptions of others.

We celebrate the diversity of our team and the patients and families we serve every day, and we are thankful for everyone who contributed to this year’s activities.