Dr. KaNisha Hall received a Doctorate of Medicine (M.D.) from Howard University. She
later completed a residency in anesthesiology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Dr.
KaNisha currently serves as the Chief Medical and Health Correspondent for Kluster Media Group. Dr. KaNisha also practices perioperative medicine, telemedicine and addiction counseling across several states including Texas, Georgia, Louisiana and Michigan.
What is going on in Nigeria?
Recently, civil unrest has made international news as Nigerians protest the unlawful actions of their Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The hashtag #ENDSARS brought awareness to the brutality the citizens claimed to have suffered at hand of this policing task force. Human rights organisations like Amnesty International have documented allegations of violence against Nigerians. Peaceful protest against the kidnapping, extortion and targeting of the LGTBQ community in Nigeria by SARS was met with more violence. Protestors and activists were detained, attacked, injured, and many have been reported dead. This week, many social media posts went viral of Nigerian Police open firing on a crowd of demonstrators.
Why should you care?
Dr. KaNisha Hall is a Board Certified Anesthesiologist in Houston, TX. She attributes a great deal of her success to an unforgettable experience while in medical school. Dr. KaNisha participated in a medical mission sponsored by the Association of Nigerian Physicians In The Americas (ANPA). She fondly recalls, “I arrived in Lagos, Nigeria to a heartfelt welcome. The long hours in the clinics and operating room caring for those patients were truly some of the most rewarding days of my training. It birthed a passion to serve. It quickly dawned on me that I had traveled across the globe to find purpose with strangers that felt like family.”
Currently, Dr. KaNisha recounts the similarity between civil unrest in Nigeria and her current home. She lives and practices in Houston, TX. This city was once where George Floyd called home and where a great deal of his family still mourns his untimely death. Just weeks ago protestors lined the streets of Houston with chants of outrage over police brutality. Across the United States, peaceful protestors have been met with violent exchange similarly to those Nigerian citizens demanding justice.
Dr. KaNisha shares, “I really hope that when people hear us chanting ‘Black Lives Matter’ they don’t assume we are only referring to Americans. Black lives need to matter to everyone, everywhere, forever. We are talking about actual human beings. My life is a black life. It’s personal. Those black lives in Nigeria matter. Black lives in the Congo matter. Our lives have to matter to the world. You ask why? I ask where is the humanity? When one bleeds, we all bleed. When black lives cease to matter, all lives cease to matter. So, love all black lives just like you love all the trendsetting culture and drip that flows from each beautiful black soul.”
How can we help?
Several groups here in the United States and abroad have formed to support the victims of police violence. Though SARS has been disbanded, more work needs to be done to restore justice. Diasporans Against SARS done the work of creating awareness and mobilizing resources to those affected by police brutality. Dr. KaNisha urges people to get involved. “Demonstrations have been organized at Nigerian Embassies in DC, NYC, and abroad in Nairobi. Black Lives are being globally disenfranchised. Dr. Martin L King, Jr said ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ In order to break these cycles of oppression, we need global unity. I stand with Nigeria.”