Angelina Jolie wrote an article for the American Journal of Nursing published on July 5 about how people of color can sometimes misdiagnosed.
She wrote, "As the mother of children of multiple races, I have seen my children of color be misdiagnosed, at times in ways that endangered their health".
She explained on how her daughter Zahara was misdiagnosed, "Reflecting personally, when my daughter Zahara, who is from Ethiopia, was hospitalized for a medical procedure, the nurse told me to call her ‘if she turns pink near her incisions. I stood looking blankly at her, not sure she understood what was wrong with what she had said."
"When she left the room, I had a talk with my daughter, both of us knowing that we would have to look for signs of infection based on our own knowledge, not what the nurse had said, despite her undoubted good intentions."
"Even as my family has access to high-quality medical care, simple diagnoses are missed because of race and continued prioritization of white skin in medicine. At a societal level, racial disparities in health care affect outcomes for millions of people. From technology to improving diversity and representation in medical research and training, it is past time to embrace new solutions".
Jolie has been giving lots of support for domestic violence victims and recently campaigned to renew the Violence Against Women Act.
