Melba Swafford Guest Speaker, Vital Signs

The group discussed an article from the Los Angeles Times about a recent decision by the LA Police Commission to reinstate an African American Police Officer who was terminated from the department in 1900 after he was accused of an assault. The case went to court and the officer was exonerated but never returned to the force. The incident was brought to the attention of Chief Michael Moore who took the matter to the Commission for review. The historical facts were noted, he was reinstated and an apology issued.

A brief discussion followed about repairing past actions in the current time. It was noted that at a recent Pasadena City Council meeting about the General Plan for city development, Council Member Kennedy asked the Mayor to include historical information in decision making documents. Council Member Kennedy noted the harm caused by the 710 easement and requested the impact on the African American and Japanese American communities be noted in written documents as determinations were made about the property.

It was noted that the Glendale and Brand Libraries produced a multi episode series on racial inequity in the city called "Reckoning". it is available on the library web site. Also recommended was a Netflix series "Amend:The Fight for America".

The participants were reminded that there is a reference list of articles on the Group's blog.

The next meeting will be on March 19th at Noon.

Dr. Melba Swafford will discuss her book, "Vital Signs Are Stable".

Here is a brief synopsis and biography:

Young Negro girls born into the poverty of 1940's Smokey City weren't supposed to attain success in any endeavor. When you're born into a world stunted by the isolating forces of racial and socioeconomic oppression, what's possible is supposed to be limited. In Vital Signs are Stable, Ruth guides us through her improbable journey, forged in the harsh realities of the Jim Crow South, but triumphant as she applies grit and determination in her rise into the rarefied air of academic medicine. The journey is a breathtaking story of Ruth's triumph over the seemingly insurmountable challenges life placed in her way.

Dr. Melba Swafford, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Baylor College of Medicine (retired) is a native of Memphis, Tennessee. She received her BA and MD degrees from Howard University in Washington, D.C. where she also completed her anesthesiology residency. She completed a fellowship in Cardiovascular Anesthesiology at Baylor College of Medicine after which she joined the Baylor College of Medicine faculty at the Fondren Brown Cardiovascular Unit of The Methodist Hospital.

Dr. Swafford's book, "Vital Signs Are Stable", is available on Amazon.

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