The Candor of a Confidant

​Dean Carla White is highly regarded as a confidant by BIPOC students at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy (ESOP). As Associate Dean for Organizational Diversity and Inclusion, Dean White is a champion for equity and inclusion. She leads by example, allowing humility and transparency to guide her everyday actions. She shared her story with me via Zoom interview on February 8, 2021.
 
Christian Brown: How did being Black impact your studies?
 
Carla White: I’ve always loved being Black. The diverse intellect, creativity, and perspectives within Black culture truly enriched my life experiences. This started with my grandmother. Everyone in the community respected her. She was a relentlessly regal individual that was proud of her Black culture and an advocate for social justice in Pennsylvania. At only 18 years old, she was one of the first and youngest people to testify before Congress [for Civil Rights]. She was my example. I knew nothing else but to love myself.
 
CW: In undergrad [at WVU], my roommate and I were the only Black girls in the dorm, and everyone would come to our room to hangout. I believe most people enjoy learning about various cultures. While in pharmacy school at the University of Pittsburgh, there was only one other black student in my class, and I believe no more than 4 in the entire School of Pharmacy.
 
CW: Reflecting back on that, I did not feel connected as a student. Pharmacy school felt more like a process rather than an experience. It’s interesting that, currently, I sit on the School’s Board of Visitors, and feel more connected now as an Alum.
 
CB: How has being Black impacted your career?
 
CW: After a few years in community pharmacy in Pittsburgh, I moved to Oregon in the early 90s. There were so few people of color that customers would knock over displays while staring at me behind the counter.
 
CW: I started with WRAL-TV Raleigh [NC] in 1999. In the media, people would address news anchors and reporters by name and say, “Wow, it’s this person,” but about me they would say, “Wow! That’s the Black pharmacist at WRAL.” To others, being Black was more important than my knowledge or expertise. It’s the first thing that people would say. It was absolutely crazy.
 
CW: It was a consistent theme across every area of my professional career. When I was a pharmacy manager and a district manager, colleagues would have to frequently point out what my role was. Bias is prevalent and hard to mitigate without a commitment to acknowledge and educate. It leaves you seeing the world through a narrow lens.
 
CB: That’s powerful. And you’ve been a leader in so many different roles from founding a consulting group to working in women’s health and infectious disease to directing pharmaceutical care labs at ESOP. Will you share how you came into your most recent position as Associate Dean for Organizational Diversity and Inclusion?
 
CW: Oh, I’m so ashamed! I said “no” twice! I didn’t want my career to be aimed in the direction of D&I. I was afraid that the work would be further marginalized. People would think, “Of course the Black faculty member would do this,” and “Of course this kind of work would be important to her.” I was also concerned that this could potentially be a window dressing measure and not a real commitment. To add to that, I wasn’t an expert in the field- personal experiences bring tremendous insights, but they don’t make you an expert or necessarily mean that you have an interest in DEI.
 
CW: Then the [former] Dean sent in reinforcements- someone else to ask me to take the position, and I started to give it some thought. The Dean expressed that he was deeply committed to improving D&I. So I accepted the position. And now, I’m delighted that he pressed the issue.  It is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my career, and it’s amazing to see the value that our investment in strategy development has brought. The great teamwork with my colleagues has led to tremendous progress and opportunity. It’s really cool to see former students in leadership roles!
 
CW: There’s certainly more work to do. Faculty are realizing that it’s everyone’s responsibility to contribute towards cultural transformation to produce a diverse pharmacy workforce. This is a priority for the School, and we are leading in this space.
 
CB: Thank you so much for your candor and honesty. How did it feel to be the only Black faculty member for so long?
 
CW: We get used to being the only one. When there is no representation, profound loneliness and isolation can be experienced.  It’s also a challenge recruiting BIPOC faculty. They want to wait until we are a diverse faculty. I am often asked “Carla, how do you do it?”  Community and advocacy are critical.
 
CW: It’s also important to realize that singular interventions aren’t going to fit for the whole BIPOC “group.”  For example, when I was a SNPhA advisor, the African students and Black students members would often gravitate into separate groups based on their cultures. There are differences in these cultures that should be celebrated and respected as such.  Often, people think these cultures are interchangeable through composition diversity metrics.
 
CW: In conversations with some Latinx students, I listened to their frustrations on hearing about extracurriculars. As a School, we, as well as our accrediting body, promote extracurricular engagement. However, for some, taking care of their families was top priority, even while in pharm school. Perhaps there is an opportunity to broaden our communication and priorities, and certainly increasing societal equity has a role in this.  All this to say, that dimensions of diversity are multifaceted and diverse strategies are needed to build an inclusive community.
 
CB: You’re right. Celebrating BIPOC differences is important. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your story. You’re an inspiration!
 
CW: Thank you for the opportunity.
 

Introduction written by: Christian Brown, UNC Class of 2023; PharmAlliance Student