Please welcome back our new celebrity blogger,Dr. Britten Cole!
Dr. Cole, an anesthesiologist and mother of two, splits her time between Orlando, Florida, and Los Angeles, where she’s starring on the inaugural season ofMarried to Medicine: Los Angeles.Aside from appearing on the hit Bravo series’ new spin-off, sheis currently working on finding permanent medical employment on the west coast.
Before she became an anesthesiologist, Dr. Cole worked as an officer in the Navy alongside her best friend,Married to Medicine: AtlantastarDr. Contessa Metcalfe.
Cole and husband Mack Major share two children: Mack Jr., 7, and Ivy, 8. You can find her on Instagram@brittencolemd.
Dr. Britten Cole’s children.
In the black community, we are keenly aware that we are underrepresented in almost everything portraying a positive image, except perhaps the NBA. This is why as a black mom to two black children, it’s my obligation to teach my son and daughter about the strength and beauty that define the many shades of black skin.
I want them to know their beauty, despite what the images of the world might tell them. I want them torealize how far they can go and thatany dream they have is possible. I emphasize to them that not seeing someone who looks like you doing something magnificent is no excuse for you not to dream it and become it. I tell them, “Just imagine: You will go down in history as the first.”
Children are great imitators, modeling the actions and emotions they see. No doll is capable of transforming a child into believing they’re inferior because they’re black. In 1940, doctors Clark & Clark conducteda study known as the doll test, asking children to differentiate between a black or white doll as good or bad. This study demonstrated the psychological effects of segregation (not dolls) on black kids’ self-esteem.
RELATED VIDEO: Angela Bassett Says Her Kids Have Faced Racism and “It Just Squeezes Your Heart”
Dr. Britten Cole’s daughter, Ivy.Courtesy Dr. Britten Cole
I think sometimes we forget what it was like to be a kid. Ease and naiveté existed, with no thought to race or skin color. And I get that not all kids have good role models. But with the large variety of dolls now with anarray of skin tones and ethnicitiesand even differences in body shape, there’s no argument that would have me believe that a doll’s skin color can make a young black girl feel anything but beautiful.
Peace …
Catch Dr. Britten Cole on Married to Medicine: Los Angeles, which airs Sundays on Bravo at 9 p.m. EST/8 p.m. CST.
source: people.com
