FOR TOMORROW's LEADERS, A SOCIAL AGENDA IS AS IMPORTANT AS A BUSINESS PLAN

Abstract

AbstractThe author, the 17th president of Howard University, the well‐known historically Black college and university (HBCU), in Washington, DC, discusses the need for more diversity in the leadership of our cities and institutions. He also notes the “multiple unequal worlds coexisting within the borders of our nation's capital.” He discusses the racial disparities regarding COVID‐19, and the interconnection between the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. He asserts that “we cannot grapple with health care disparities without also tackling the ways in which systemic racism have infected the medical establishment with negative biases about African‐American patients.” In broadening today's crises to how leadership responds nationwide, Dr. Frederick says that these “leaders must embrace diversity as a means of avoiding country‐wide crisis and enhancing national prosperity.” He points to the role of his own institution in leading the future: “Howard plays an outsized role in cultivating Black leaders and cultivating greater diversity and inclusion. More Black undergraduate students who enroll in medical schools and pursue a Ph.D. in a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) field come from Howard than any other institution. Howard is also a leader in training African‐American dentists, pharmacists and many other professions.”