Dr Eleanor Fleming reflects on untold histories, antiracism in dentistry, and the role of legacy in shaping identity, practice, and space within academia and beyond the walls of the university to include the communities we serve. Recorded 30 Aug 2024.
In this episode of the Power and Privilege series, we are joined by Clinical Associate Professor Eleanor Fleming who is also the Assistant Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry in West Baltimore. Eleanor is a Public Health Dentist whose research and practice focus on how dentistry—as a clinical, academic, and research field—can embody antiracist principles. Together, we explore the deeply interconnected themes of legacy, narrative, and identity, and consider how untold or suppressed histories shape present-day realities in academia and healthcare. This episode is a rich reflection on Eleanor’s journey in dentistry, the importance of designing inclusive public spaces that hold and retell complex histories, and what it means to consciously build a legacy. We also touch on public history exhibitions, the role of storytelling in academic spaces, and how reimagining professional practice can contribute to justice. Tune in for a thoughtful and expansive conversation that bridges personal experience, structural critique, and visionary thinking. Referenced in the podcast:
● Dr Eleanor Fleming visited Bristol as a Next Generation Visiting Researcher from the 9th January to the 19th February 2024.
● The first African-American male dentist was Robert Tanner Freeman
● The first African-American female dentist was Ida Gray Nelson Rollins
● While it's difficult to pinpoint the absolute first, one of the first Black professionally registered dentists in the UK was Edward "Eddie" Tull-Warnock. At the time of recording there was no record of the first Black female Dentist in the UK.
● Mayor of London, in 2023 announced plans for a landmark memorial in the capital for the victims of the transatlantic slave trade.
● In West African culture, storytellers, known as Griots (or Jeliw), were highly respected individuals who are born into their role, acting as oral historians, praise singers, and keepers of traditions, often advising royal figures.
● Black birth workers never went away. More recently, they have trained as doulas. Doulas are birth workers who don't give medical advice. Instead, they offer mental, physical, and emotional support to mothers. Orgs such as National Black Doulas Association and Black Mothers Matter provide doula support.
