Black History Today: Dr. Joshua Dawson, next-generation healer and community leader

Black History Today, created by Marcus Harden in honor of Black History Month, pays tribute to the living legacy of Black history in our community and beyond and recognizes the people among us who are boldly shaping the future.

“Care is love in action.”

— Odessa Brown

By Marcus Harden

What do you want to do when you grow up? We were all asked that question many times as kids. The answers usually range from athlete to musician, lawyer to businessperson, from teacher to, in this day and age, maybe a content creator.

Yet I’ve always believed the question was asked wrong. Asking “what” forces you into objectivity, into a job or a role or an identity that’s binary. The true question I’ve always tried to ask is who do you want to be when you grow up? The ultimate alchemy comes when what you do and who you “be” become one.

This is the alchemy at work in the world and life of Dr. Joshua Dawson. He serves as a living connection between the deep traditions of his Ethiopian heritage and his African American roots; he represents the history of sacrifice and, duly, the promise of possibility.

A proud product of Federal Way and the University of Washington (Go Huskies and GOMAB), Dr. Dawson’s charismatic humility, blended with an insatiable work ethic and the ability to honor those who’ve paved the path before him, allow him to serve as the living bridge for those who come after – and oftentimes walk beside him.

He stands as a role model (and fashion model) for the true multi-hyphenate that this generation represents. You can see him presenting at a medical conference, or see him walking the runway in NY Fashion Week and then immediately see him leading STEM-based mentoring programs right before engaging young people in healthy habits through basketball, redefining the moniker of doctor for a new generation of young people who see themselves through him.

One of the most powerful and purposeful things about Dr. Dawson is where he chooses to practice medicine: pediatrics. There is something transformative about a young person and a young family walking into a room and being met by a young African American and Ethiopian doctor. In that moment, the old truth becomes real: you can’t be what you can’t see. For everyone in that room, possibility has a face, a voice, and a future standing right in front of you.

And now, because of Dr. Dawson and people like him, a generation, no matter their color or creed (because young non-Black kids need to see Black doctors too!), can see what a doctor can be. In seeing him, they are given permission, both knowingly and unknowingly, to imagine themselves there too.

He gently shifts the question for all of us from “what do you want to do” to “who do you want to be.” A scientist. A healer. A human being whose presence alone expands what’s possible, reminding us that becoming has always mattered more than doing. Dr. Dawson brightens his community by letting all aspects of his light shine brightly, and as he joyfully illuminates the world around him, he is indeed Black History Today!