Smithsonian Channel and Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions will team on a new documentary debuting in May that will examine racial health disparities and practices in the United States.
The documentary, The Color of Care, premieres May 1 and chronicles how people of color suffer from systemically substandard healthcare in the United States, and how COVID-19 exposed the tragic consequences of these inequities, according to network officials. Using testimony from those who lost loved ones to COVID-19 and frontline medical workers in overwhelmed hospitals, expert interviews and powerful data, the film exposes the toll of racism that is embedded in our healthcare system, said the network.
“People of color have long endured the fatal consequences of racial health disparities and the COVID-19 pandemic made these inequalities plain for all to see,” Smithsonian Channel Head James Blue said in a statement. “I hope our documentary event, The Color of Care, will be a catalyst for action. I am delighted to partner with Oprah Winfrey and Harpo Productions on this vital project.”
Added Winfrey: “At the height of the pandemic, I read something that stopped me in my tracks …I read a story about Gary Fowler, a Black man that died in his home because no hospital would treat him despite his COVID-19 symptoms. As we continued to hear how the racial disparities in our country were exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic, I felt something needed to be done. This film is my way of doing something, with the intention that the stories we share serve as both a warning and foster a deeper understanding of what changes need to take place to better serve us all.”
The Color of Care will serve as part of a broader effort driven by Smithsonian Channel to move conversation and action around health equity. The film will also prepare future doctors, nurses and medical professionals to play an active role in combating systemic racism in the delivery of healthcare, according to the network. ■
