you are within the norms
NORMAN J CLEMENT RPH., DDS, NORMAN L. CLEMENT PHARM-TECH, MALACHI F. MACKANDAL PHARMD, BELINDA BROWN-PARKER, IN THE SPIRIT OF JOSEPH SOLVO ESQ., INC., SPIRIT OF REV. IN THE SPIRIT OF WALTER R. CLEMENT BS., MS, MBA. HARVEY JENKINS, MD, PH.D., IN THE SPIRIT OF C.T. VIVIAN, JELANI ZIMBABWE CLEMENT, BS., M.B.A., IN THE SPIRIT OF THE HON. PATRICE LUMUMBA, IN THE SPIRIT OF ERLIN CLEMENT SR., EVELYN J. CLEMENT, IN THE SPIRIT OF WALTER F. WRENN III., MD., JULIE KILLINGSWORTH, RENEE BLARE, RPH, DR. TERENCE SASAKI, MD LESLY POMPY MD., CHRISTOPHER RUSSO, MD., NANCY SEEFELDT, WILLIE GUINYARD BS., JOSEPH WEBSTER MD., MBA, BEVERLY C. PRINCE MD., FACS., NEIL ARNAND, MD., RICHARD KAUL, MD., IN THE SPIRIT OF LEROY BAYLOR, JAY K. JOSHI MD., MBA, AISHA GARDNER, ADRIENNE EDMUNDSON, ESTER HYATT PH.D., WALTER L. SMITH BS., IN THE SPIRIT OF BRAHM FISHER ESQ., MICHELE ALEXANDER MD., CUDJOE WILDING BS, MARTIN NJOKU, BS., RPH., IN THE SPIRIT OF DEBRA LYNN SHEPHERD, BERES E. MUSCHETT, STRATEGIC ADVISORS
PHYSICIAN, ACCOMPLISHED JAZZ MUSICIAN, A WARRIOR OF PAIN CARE EQUITY, “
MICHAEL SEARS/MSEARS@JOURNALSENTINEL.COM
REV. DR. RONALD MYERS, MD, AN AMERICAN HERO
This article serves as a poignant tribute to Dr. Ronald Myers, a physician and missionary celebrated for his dual legacy as the father of the national Juneteenth observance and a champion for medical equity in impoverished regions. The narrative outlines his tireless work in the Mississippi Delta while criticizing the legal and regulatory systems that targeted his practice, ultimately characterizing him as a martyr for chronic pain advocacy.
Beyond Myers’ personal history, the source explores broader systemic issues, such as the weaponization of medical guidelinesand the racial profiling of healthcare providers by enforcement agencies. By weaving together personal biography and social critique, the author aims to honor a fallen hero while exposing how institutional biases continue to disenfranchise both minority clinicians and their patients.
DR. RONALD V. MYERS: MARTYR FOR MEDICAL EQUITY AND JUSTICE
Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., MD, was a family practitioner in Mississippi. He lost his license because of attacks on him by the state of Oklahoma. The charges were dropped, but his license was never restored to active status because of fines levied by the Board of Medicine for the unfounded investigation it conducted against him. In other words, “Pay us for attacking you without just cause.”
Dr. Ronald Myers is widely recognized as the “Father of the United States of America’s National Celebration of Juneteenth”. He earned this title by serving as a leading advocate and founder of the movement to achieve official national recognition for the holiday.
His impact on Juneteenth is characterized by several key factors:
Legacy of Justice: The sources frame his Juneteenth work as part of a larger struggle for equity. He is remembered as an “American Hero” who fought for the recognition of African American history with the same “self-sacrifice” he applied to his medical advocacy for marginalized patients
National Leadership: He was the primary visionary behind elevating Juneteenth from a local or regional observance to a national celebration, a mission he pursued alongside his work as a medical missionary and civil rights pioneer.
Advocacy for the Disenfranchised: His dedication to establishing Juneteenth was an extension of his broader life’s work as a “warrior” for the poor and disenfranchised. He utilized his platform as an ordained minister and physician to champion the historical and cultural significance of the day.
What are the alleged racial disparities in medical enforcement and asset seizures?
Angela Greene’s book, Legalized Extortion, alleges that significant racial disparities exist in how federal agencies, specifically the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), conduct medical enforcement and asset seizures. These allegations include:
- Targeting Practitioners of Color: The sources claim the DEA specifically “preys upon” medical practitioners of color. This targeting is reportedly based on the assumption that these practitioners are “less likely to fight back,” making them “easy enforcement targets”.
- Asset Seizure as a Motivator: Enforcement actions are often allegedly directed at older practitioners of color because they are deemed “property-rich”. This allows the government to seize “larger more valuable assets” from these individuals.
- Unfounded Investigations and Fines: Dr. Ronald Myers is cited as an example of a physician who lost his license due to an “unfounded investigation”. Even after charges were dropped, his license remained inactive because he was required to pay fines levied by the Board of Medicine to cover the costs of the investigation against him.
- Correlation with Public Health Crisis: There is a noted correlation between the removal of physicians, pharmacists, and dentists of color by the DEA and Department of Justice (DOJ) and areas with the highest rates of African American deaths from COVID-19. This suggests that targeting minority providers creates healthcare vacuums in vulnerable communities.
- Patient Profiling: The sources also highlight reports from Black patients who describe being profiled at pharmacies when attempting to fill legitimate prescriptions for pain medications.
These actions are framed as part of a broader systemic issue where biased enforcement policies and the weaponization of “low tier evidence,” such as the CDC Prescription Guidelines, are used to criminalize minority healthcare providers.
Pain Patient Advocacy Week
Doc Myers led his last Pain Patient Advocacy Week in Washington, DC on April 23-30, 2018. He wasn’t feeling up to par when he came to Washington, but he used all the energy he had to lead the movement. Possibly because of that self-sacrifice, he did not have the reserves when he returned home, and his health deteriorated over the next few months. He is truly a martyr to the cause, and Chronic Pain Patients should lift him up forever for the support he gave.
Dr. Ronald Myers was a true “Renaissance Man,” a visionary who spent his life stitching together the ragged edges of a neglected healthcare system with the golden thread of jazz and the steel of civil rights advocacy. He was not merely a clinician; he was a cultural architect and a fierce defender of the disenfranchised.
By synthesizing his roles as a family physician, an accomplished jazz musician, and the “Father of Juneteenth,” Dr. Myers demonstrated how professional expertise can be weaponized for justice. His life was a singular, cohesive mission to heal the bodies of his patients while simultaneously restoring the soul and history of a nation.
For students of equity and service, Dr. Ronald Myers represents the “So What?” of a life dedicated to justice. His story illustrates that professional expertise—whether in medicine or the arts—is most powerful when used to challenge systemic barriers. He proves that one individual can lead a national cultural shift while simultaneously providing grassroots care to those the system has forgotten.
NOW FEEL OUR PAIN
FOR NOW, YOU ARE
WITHIN
THE NORMS
REFERENCE:
LISTEN TO THE WORDS OF RONALD MYERS, MD, IN THIS INTERVIEW FROM PAIN PATIENT ADVOCACY WEEK IN 2017, WITH DR. LINDA CHEEKS, MD
PAIN CARE WARRIOR
Without a thought, the doctor gave them his aid, one after the other, and each mouse he healed was grateful. Soon, however, he began to tire and eventually became exhausted, yet still more mice came. “Surely, though, this deed will be worth it in the end,” he thought, and strengthened his resolve.
In his book, Race Matters in Pain Medicine, attorney Jackson Dunbar investigates the deep-seated racial inequities within the American healthcare and legal systems. Following a traumatic accident, Dunbar observed how Black and Hispanic patients are frequently undertreated for chronic pain, while white communities have historically faced different risks associated with the opioid crisis. The text highlights a troubling trend where medical professionals often underestimate the severity of pain reported by minority patients, particularly those suffering from terminal illnesses like cancer. By applying a solutions-focused business logic, Dunbar shares his personal journey of overcoming physical agony and financial loss, offering a roadmap for advocacy and self-help. Ultimately, these sources serve as a call to action against the systemic racism that dictates the quality of medical care based on a patient’s background.
