Reflections on Black History Month: Dr. Yanick Perodin

February is Black History Month. For the month of February, we will be sharing a series of spotlights of some of our staff and volunteers in the Black community. This post features Dr. Yanick Perodin.

I am a retired pediatrician living in Miami, Florida. I am originally from Haiti where I have witnessed the injustices of poverty firsthand. But poverty is not unique to one country. It comes from colonialism, systemic racism, and injustices. I have been a RESULTS volunteer since 2016 and I am the team leader for the Miami RESULTS group which advocates for U.S. and global issues.  

We should celebrate the contributions of Black people in advocacy and add another milestone towards change bringing us closer to unity and justice for all. In the U.S., Martin Luther King, Jr is a person that inspires me. In general, I am also inspired by every enslaved person who wanted to be recognized as a human and fought for their freedom.  

We know the consequences of poverty, poor health, poor nutrition, chronic preventable diseases, and lack of economic development. Everything is rooted in colonialism and systemic racism. I am inspired by the fact that in RESULTS you can advocate for change in big and small ways, bringing us closer to ending poverty all over the world.