Honoring America’s Black Heroes: A Labor of Love

By Alicia Y. Christy, MD, FACOG

As an army doctor, a federal physician, and now as a Red Cross volunteer physician, I have had the privilege of caring for active-duty service women and women veterans for more than 40 years. In addition to providing them with care, I use my artwork to honor them.

When I retired in 2023, I made the decision to commit the rest of my life to advocacy. My art is an integral part of my advocacy work. My artwork is my voice for social justice. My watercolor paintings have become an outlet for my angst and frustration—and for my hope and my optimism.

In these challenging times, it is helpful for me to look to remarkable leaders, past and present, to inspire and uplift me. In my over 40 years of practice, I never thought I would see the occupant of the White House openly disparage and disrespect people who look like me. On January 31, for example, the Defense Intelligence Agency ordered a pause of all activities and events related to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black History Month, Juneteenth, LGBTQ Pride Month, Holocaust Remembrance Day, and other “special observances” to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order. A tragic plane accident was attributed to DEI, with no evidence.

 

My entire career has been spent in federal service, and these quotes by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and Dr. King resonate with me. Justice Brown Jackson said, “I have dedicated my career to public service because I love this country, and our constitution, and the rights that make us free.” Dr. King said, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.”

Inspired by these quotes, and an increasing number of reasons stemming from recent events, I will continue to use my artwork to honor Black heroes.

In the past I have used my art to raise awareness. I addressed racism through my paintings When Will Black Lives Matter as part of an online Art Against Racism exhibit and No Muslim Ban, a tribute to Iraqi immigrant and peace activist Andy Shallal. I was inspired by the health disparities that became apparent in the Black community during the COVID-19 pandemic to create COVID Tears. My cover art and artist statement, Physicians Must Speak for the Voiceless and Vulnerable, published in Academic Medicine, stresses the importance of physicians as advocates. Voting rights injustices were the inspiration for my watercolor painting and artist statement Why I Vote: The Ethical Obligation to Promote Voter Engagement to Achieve Health Equity and Voting Rights are Human Rights, which is on exhibit at the National Medical Association, the largest organization of Black physicians.

These trying times have tested me, but I find solace in these words from Maya Angelou: “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”

Alicia Christy, MD, FACOG, is an ACOG member, retired army physician, activist, and watercolor artist. After her retirement in 2023 she joined the veteran artist group Uniting US, a nonprofit that empowers and inspires veterans and their families and helps them heal through art, and continued her work as an advocate for active duty and veterans with ACOG and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Read Art and Activism: Creating Space as a Form of Resistance, Dr. Christy’s previous submissions for ACOG Black History Months, to learn more about her work.

The national theme for Black History Month 2025 is African Americans and Labor, highlighting how labor—from labor performed by slaves to the progress made during the Civil Rights movement to our current environment—has affected Black people throughout history and today. The work of Black people has contributed to every aspect of American life. To contribute a written or visual piece, email your submission and a headshot to [email protected].