3-Year Gap: Dallas Pharmacist on Black Health & Distrust

From Chicago’s South Side to Dallas Impact

Dr. Lamar T. Quinn is a visionary leader, entrepreneur, pharmacist, and community advocate whose work is reshaping the landscape of Southern Dallas. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of Toast for Charity (TFC), he has helped award more than $60,000 in scholarships to emerging difference-makers and continues to champion education, equity, and opportunity.

In this episode of Making Black History Today, Dr. Quinn discusses the life-changing realities behind the 23-year life expectancy gap between South Dallas and North Dallas, offering a rare, honest perspective from a healthcare professional who confronts the truth about access, prevention, and trust.

Dr. Quinn also speaks directly to the long-standing distrust many Black communities have toward pharmacists and the medical system, breaking down why culturally aware healthcare, prevention education, and medication literacy are essential for closing the gap and saving lives.

This episode explores:

• The 23-year health and life expectancy divide in Dallas

• Why prevention and education are critical in Black communities

• The roots of medical distrust and how pharmacists can rebuild that trust

• How entrepreneurship and service can strengthen community health

• The power of legacy-driven leadership

A 23-year life expectancy gap exists between South Dallas and North Dallas. Dr. Lamar T. Quinn, a pharmacist confronting this crisis daily, explains why—and what it will take to close it.

Dr. Quinn isn't just a healthcare professional—he's a community builder working at the intersection of medicine, distrust, and survival. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of Toast for Charity, he's awarded over $60,000 in scholarships while reshaping Southern Dallas through entrepreneurship and culturally aware healthcare. But his most urgent work addresses something most pharmacists won't say out loud: the deep-rooted medical distrust in Black communities that's literally costing lives.

In this conversation, Dr. Quinn breaks down the shocking realities behind Dallas's health divide, reveals why many Black families don't trust pharmacists or the medical system, and shares how prevention education and medication literacy can save lives. From his Chicago South Side roots to founding Love You Most, Make a 360°, and The Gentlemen's Toast, his journey proves that health equity requires more than medicine—it demands trust, cultural awareness, and community-driven leadership.

What You'll Discover:

- The 23-year life expectancy gap between South and North Dallas—and what causes it

- Why medical distrust persists in Black communities and how healthcare professionals perpetuate it

- How culturally aware pharmacy practice can rebuild trust and save lives

- The critical role of prevention education and medication literacy in health equity

- How entrepreneurship and scholarship programs strengthen community health infrastructure

- Building networks of Black men committed to legacy-driven leadership

Key Moments:

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XX:XX – From Chicago's South Side to Dallas Healthcare Leadership

XX:XX – The Shocking 23-Year Life Expectancy Gap Explained

XX:XX – Medical Distrust: Why Black Communities Don't Trust Pharmacists

XX:XX – Toast for Charity: $60K+ in Scholarships and Community Impact

XX:XX – Love You Most, Make a 360°, and The Gentlemen's Toast

XX:XX – What "Making Black History Today" Means to You

This is Making Black History Today—conversations with leaders confronting health inequity, building trust, and creating solutions that save lives.

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