There was a TikTok video late last year, posted by a group of veterinary professionals, using a sound bite from the movie Scream 4. The clip—“Haro”—was paired with a caption along the lines of POV: when you call your Asian doctor for something. It appeared on several non-Asian veterinary professionals’ TikTok accounts. After receiving considerable backlash, the videos were taken down, and some individuals posted apologies. Versions of the video, however, are still circulating, including this one:
While scrolling through the comments on a response video, I came across one that stood out.
A user wrote:"...to improve DEI in the NBA or is it only white dominated fields?" --- "If a job field or area is majority white, it's not diverse. But if a job or area is majority black th[e]n people don't bring up lack of diversity.”
That’s what hit me. Not the Asian joke.
My husband is Jamaican-Canadian and is genetically stronger, not because he’s a man, but because he is a descendant of slaves. That’s not an exaggeration, it reflects historical and biological realities shaped by forced selection.
Over 2 million Africans died during the journey across the Atlantic, and those who survived did so under unimaginable conditions. In the Americas, enslaved individuals endured generations of physical brutality, and in some reports, were subjected to deliberate breeding for strength and endurance.
This wasn’t natural athleticism. It was the outcome of centuries of dehumanization and systemic violence.
So when people cite the NBA or elite athleticism as a rebuttal to systemic racism, they miss the point entirely. To now use that very legacy to dismiss conversations about inequality in white-dominated professions, including veterinary medicine, is not only historically inaccurate, it’s a complete failure of understanding and of naivety.
The Genetics of Strength: What ACTN3 Tells Us
Modern genetic testing, like that provided by 23andMe, identifies a marker in the ACTN3 gene that determines whether a person produces alpha-actinin-3, a protein found in fast-twitch muscle fibres. This protein supports explosive strength. Elite power athletes almost always have a genotype that allows for its production—typically CC or CT.
A comparison of ACTN3 genotype frequencies shows a stark difference across ancestry groups:
Nigerians: ~60% CC, ~38% CT, ~2% TT
African Americans: ~50% CC, ~46% CT, ~4% TT
European Americans: ~30% CC, ~50% CT, ~20% TT
The TT genotype, associated with endurance but not power, is nearly absent in West African populations. The prevalence of CC and CT genotypes in African-descended populations reflects a potential legacy of selection—genetic, environmental, and systemic—dating back to slavery.
A chi-square analysis comparing ACTN3 genotype distributions across ancestral groups confirms this difference is statistically significant (p < 0.00001), underscoring the biological variation shaped by historical trauma—not inherent racial “superiority.”
Systemic Inequality in Veterinary Medicine and DEI Backlash
Veterinary medicine is one of the least racially diverse professions in North America. In the U.S., 90% of veterinarians are white. Black professionals represent just 1.3% of the workforce, despite making up over 13% of the U.S. population (Insight Into Diversity).
After the deconstruction of slavery in 1865 in the U.S., Black Americans were freed into poverty, denied land ownership, and subjected to Black Codes—early laws that restricted their rights and movement. These communities were given no restitution, no access to generational wealth, and minimal protection under the law.
That exclusion continues today, particularly in access to higher education. Veterinary school costs in Canada and the U.S. can exceed $300,000, making entry nearly impossible for students from historically marginalized backgrounds without significant financial support. When we talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), it isn’t about lowering standards. It’s about recognizing when two applicants are equally capable, but only one has the generational wealth and social capital to afford the education. DEI is about identifying those high-potential individuals who haven’t had the same opportunities, and removing the financial barriers that keep them out.
In veterinary medicine, the biggest accomplishment comes from Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine (TUCVM). Founded in 1945, it is the only veterinary school located on the campus of a historically Black college or university (HBCU). It has graduated more than 70% of the United States’ Black veterinarians (Tuskegee.edu) and remains a national leader in DEI, access, and education for underrepresented groups in animal health.
Just let that sink in a little while your government starts cutting your education because of "woke" DEI considerations.
Recent policy threatens to reverse progress of any DEI programs over the past few years. The Trump administration has initiated actions to dismantle the Department of Education, including significant staff reductions and the elimination of diversity programs. Plans have been announced to lay off more than half of the employees in the department. These cuts raise serious concerns about the government’s capacity to uphold educational equity.
Reverse Racism? Let’s Talk About That.
When someone says “what about the NBA?” in response to conversations about equity, what they’re really saying is: Your excellence invalidates your oppression.
But genetics doesn’t negate history. And representation in sports doesn't erase systemic exclusion in medicine, academia, and beyond.
Take Caitlin Clark, for example, she's incredibly talented, and she's earning her place in the WNBA through skill and drive. So grow your talent. Then play with the All Stars. Sitting on the sidelines and complaining that there aren’t enough white players in the NBA reflects a misunderstanding, not of race, but of performance. These athletes are there because they are the best.
The same logic applies to veterinary medicine. People wrongly assume that a diversity hire or an admissions seat offered through a DEI program is about lowering standards. It’s not. These applicants are just as intelligent, just as capable, but they may not have had the generational wealth or access to get there on their own. It’s not about giving less qualified people a seat. It’s about finally acknowledging how many brilliant people have been systematically kept out.
White communities cannot invoke reverse racism in sports or education when their ancestors helped create the very systems that shaped Black Americans to be stronger, faster, and simultaneously denied them access to the privileges that white communities continue to benefit from. (More on reverse racism) (More on DEI backlash)
And don’t even get me started on the “only two genders” argument. What if we just start with no genders, because at the end of the day, we’re all human, and we all deserve equal rights.
For more information on the genetics of the slave trade see this article: Genetic Consequences of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in the Americas - Link
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