I AM NOT YOUR HERO is a film by Director Kelley Kali, delivering an urgent message inspired by Black women physicians that need to be heard–now. This timely, nonfiction short film taps into an urgent narrative and national conversation about the expectations and roles of Black women in contemporary society.
The 30-minute short connects viewers to the lived experiences of Black women physicians and the heightened tribulations they experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic such as the twin perils of health inequities and systemic racism that plague America’s medical system. We will meet a cohort of first-generation BIPOC doctors who don’t come from privilege but rather worked their way up from historically underserved and under-resourced communities. Caregivers and frontline health workers, the women in the film are committed to upholding their oath of service, no matter what obstacles come their way.
We experience the commitment and compassion of Black doctors as told through the lens of Dr. Briana Young, a mother of two young daughters and an emergency physician. On the receiving end of myriad micro-aggressions and overt racism, at best she is mistaken for a nurse in the majority white, rural Illinois hospital where she works. Through Dr. Young and other expert voices, we learn about the high rates of depression, work-related trauma, suicidality, rising burnout, and fall-out these physicians work through.
With intimate access and honest reflection, I AM NOT YOUR HERO focuses on the human-centered relationship between patients and caregivers. Committed to their calling, these physicians would value being seen and appreciated as whole persons-- just like you and me.
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