Unlock full access to The Summer’s Issue ’24
P rogress has always taken a long time, meaning we still have quite some time before primarily white spaces begin disintegrating and intermixing. But that’s why Dr. Cadet chooses to do the hard work, making the tough call to be as honest as humanly possible with the world’s oppressors, leading the white horses to water so they finally understand what it means to live in unity. What led Dr. Cadet on her current path all starts with her ancestral past. With a family history rooted in Haiti and Louisiana, the rippling effects of slavery endure within the daily micro- and macro-aggressions Dr. Cadet faces. It’s one thing for your very own blood to remind you of the transatlantic slave trade, but it’s a big slap in the face when a supposed safe place, like a workplace, becomes an overarching example of how much further we have to go until freedom finally rings.
It's no secret that these past few years have dealt a tumultuous reckoning to the United States, especially where it relates to the health and overall safety of the minority communities that make up the majority of America. When the cards handed to you at birth dictate your future, the result becomes an onslaught of systemic abuse and injustice. As a Black woman living with a disability, Dr. Cadet could have easily chosen to give up after the country’s Black Lives Matter protests due to the Black and Brown murders countrywide. Years of pain, struggle, and strife can wear on the body and the mind. It takes an immense amount of strength to find the courage to fight back and advocate for absolute change in the country we call home. Instead of giving up, Dr. Cadet, chose to focus on extending her side hustle into a full-blown consulting business.
As an unquestionable leader, Dr. Cadet takes our ideas of unity, mass connection, and communication and uses them to fulfill the dreams of people of color and even the playing field in the health and wellness space. Statistically, about 2.5 million Black adults throughout our country’s workforce are disabled, yet research has proven the nearly never- ending obstacles that constitute being Black and disabled in our nation still exist. Whether related to education, employment, or health and wellness, data confirms how difficult it can be to meet all your basic needs while living with a disability. Our country is still prospering from centuries of oppression. Minority stress, generational wealth gaps, and lack of healthcare access plague minority communities. The marginalized have been stuffed into corners, silenced for too long, making progressive change long overdue.
Sign Up
“Our country is still, unfortunately, prospering from centuries of oppression. Minority stress, generational wealth gaps, and lack of healthcare access plague minority communities.“ Already have an account? Sign In
- DR. AKILAH CADET
340
341
Powered by FlippingBook