Happy Wednesday!☀️
Thought I’d share another glimpse at how God works in my world. How He loves on me!
In yesterday’s post (see Clyde Kennard and JET Magazine), I wrote that after attending a lecture on Clyde Kennard, I was inspired to find my copies of JET Magazine. I said that I would take a moment this week to begin reading them. Well, I began yesterday, and here’s what I found! Y’all, when I tell you God knows exactly how to make my heart smile, dance, and sing.☺️
JET Magazine, March 22, 1999
This article highlights the work of the late nutritionist Dr. Alvenia Fulton. As a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN)—a Black RDN—I’m curious to learn more about her story and journey to becoming a nutritionist. You see, her story matters to me because when I began my undergraduate degree in 2003, Black dietitians made up less than 3% of registered dietitians nationally. Now here we are, over two decades later, and this percentage hasn’t changed (2.6–3%).
In graduate school, I wrote my thesis on the importance of multicultural counseling competencies in our profession. I remember mailing over 600 surveys and receiving nearly 300 fully completed returns. Although the return and completion rates were great (yes, this is beautiful in the research world), only 5% of respondents were Black, while 92% were White. Sadly, the majority of the respondents who had never received any culturally competent counseling training (~70%) did not believe cultural competency was necessary to counsel people of different races, ethnicities, or cultures. Back then, our state had, and still has, the highest Black population by state in the U.S. (~38–39%), and also one of the highest rates of health disparities (America’s Health Rankings: Mississippi). In 2016, I became the first Black president of our state’s dietetics association. It’s not something I ever mention. It’s not something I ever wanted highlighted. But now, after learning about Dr. Fulton and seeing that the national percentage of RDNs hasn’t changed, I think it’s worth mentioning. Our association was founded in 1948. In 2016, I became the first Black president, and in 2025, I became the second.
I have to explore Dr. Fulton’s story further. God didn’t drop that article in my lap for nothing. We can’t move forward and grow as a profession if we don’t start addressing the underlying issues and challenges behind the lack of growth in the number of Black RDNs nationally. There’s so much to explore… I have work to do!
This is all for now. I’ll keep you updated on whatever I find about Dr. Fulton. I was gifted a copy of the book from the lecture, “Mixing: Race, Higher Education, and the Case of Clyde Kennard,” and can’t wait to begin reading it.
Wishing you a wonderful Wellness Wednesday! Please take care of yourself.♥️
I love you,
Shaun
**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration.
My thesis: Multicultural Nutrition Counseling Competencies Among Dietitians in Mississippi (LaShaundrea Bradford Crook, 2009)
Found this picture from when I received my Bachelor’s degree (2006).😊
