By Charles E. Crutchfield III, MD
Carleton B. Crutchfield, Esq.
Christopher E. Crutchfield, Esq.
In his famous April 4, 1967 speech opposing the war in Vietnam, Martin Luther King, Jr. said that “The arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice.” Today more than 50 years since his famous speech, our children are growing up in a world which offers both enormous challenges and enormous opportunities.
While we are living in a time that has possibly the greatest technological advances in history, the gaps that exist between Black and White in terms of wealth, employment, incarceration, health care and education continue to be tenacious.
We must see that in reality the arc of justice is actually a torch that we must all must carry, and that our collective journey towards justice is not always a smooth straight line, but can be rocky with setbacks and roadblocks.
Just like Dr. King, however, we cannot be deterred because our children and families deserve to live in a world bright with the light of justice and the warmth of equity.
So now is the time to double our efforts. Now is the time to join hands together. Now is the time to say and do what we know in our hearts is right. Now is the time for dreams to become a reality — because the arc of history is long but now it is time for justice.
But what does that mean? What can we do and how can we begin? Small drops of water hitting a mountain, over time, will wear it down. Make a personal commitment to do just one thing every day, big or small, to keep the arc described by Dr. King bending towards justice.
Charles E. Crutchfield III, MD is a board-certified dermatologist and clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School and a Benedict Distinguished Visiting Professor of biology at Carleton College. He also has a private practice, Crutchfield Dermatology in Eagan, MN.
He received his MD and Master’s Degree in molecular biology and
genomics from the Mayo Clinic. He has been selected as one of the top 10 dermatologists in the United States by Black Enterprise magazine. Minnesota Medicine recognized Dr. Crutchfield as one of the 100 Most Influential Healthcare Leaders in Minnesota. Dr. Crutchfield specializes in
skin-of-color and has been selected by physicians and nurses as one of the leading dermatologists in Minnesota for the past 18 years.
He is the team dermatologist for the Minnesota Twins, Vikings, Timberwolves, Wild and Lynx. Dr. Crutchfield is an active member of both the American and National Medical Associations and president of the Minnesota Association of Black Physicians. He can be reached at CrutchfieldDermatology.com or by calling 651-209-3600.