The seeds for a national movement to eliminate the disparity, sown from the days of Booker T. Washington, are sprouting. The health arena has aligned itself with the business world in making culturally appropriate care a top priority on the health care agenda. In recent years, this concept of "culture" has made health care providers refocus on the increasingly diverse needs of our society. The terms cultural competency and cultural sensitivity are now household words in the health community and often spoken of in market share terms. Health care providers have, ideally, sensitized themselves to the needs of the many cultures they care for with the hope of increasing the levels of access to culturally responsible care. In general, this care is more "user friendly" toward the patient with the goal of reducing or eliminating the persistent health disparity that exists in the minority population.

Evidence of success has been anecdotal and, over the years, the number of stories is mounting. Efforts to eliminate the disparity can be found throughout the United States in large and small, rural and urban, specialty and general health care facilities. Leadership for the elimination of the disparity comes from the highest levels of the government and the most energetic rural and urban activists in the country. There is still much to be done. Hopefully, you will join together with health care providers, legislators, administrators, educators, community leaders, parents, entertainers and the faith community from across the country as National Minority Health Month is celebrated as a primary effort to eliminate the disparity.