Community Acupuncture’s Roots in Black Activism and Healthcare
For most Menders, Community Acupuncture is an invitation to simply rest and restore – a chance to slow down, self-heal and be still. Sounds pretty radical, right?
Actually, Community Acupuncture IS radical with roots in activism, true community healthcare, equitability and accessibility. It’s really medicine for the people, representing a connection and contract between Acupuncture and Communities. With Community Acupuncture, the definition doesn’t just come from those delivering care. Those who receive acupuncture also play a role in defining it.
Currently, we see our country and world shifting. Which makes us particularly passionate about sharing a beautiful, radical, and transformative aspect of Community Acupuncture that you may not know about.
The Radical Roots of Community Acupuncture
Acupuncture didn’t enter the U.S. quietly—it was brought in through a storm of revolution, necessity, and resistance. In the 1970s, amid the struggles for Black liberation and healthcare access, a group of activists took this ancient healing practice and turned it into a tool for the people.
Mao Zedong Meets Richard Nixon, February 21, 1972
It all started with Nixon’s 1972 visit to China, where American journalists saw acupuncture in action, including surgery performed with just acupuncture anesthesia. The media buzzed, and suddenly, the U.S. medical establishment wanted in. But while white elites were fascinated by acupuncture’s potential, it was revolutionaries who made it matter where it counted: the streets.
Old Lincoln Hospital 141st Street & Southern Blvd. Bronx, NY
In the South Bronx, Lincoln Hospital—known as “the Butcher Shop” due to its horrific treatment of Black and Brown patients—became ground zero for a radical health movement. The Young Lords and the Black Panther Party occupied the hospital in 1970, demanding better healthcare for their communities. One of their biggest fights? Treating heroin addiction, which was devastating poor Black and Brown neighborhoods. Western medicine offered methadone, another addictive substance. The activists wanted something better.
Dr. Mutulu Shakur, DAc.
Enter Baltimore-born Dr. Mutulu Shakur, D.Ac. (yes, stepfather to Tupac), a key figure in this movement. Alongside Dr. Richard Taft and other radical health workers, Shakur helped establish the first community acupuncture detox program at Lincoln Hospital, based on ear acupuncture (what we now know as NADA protocol). The treatment, inspired by Chinese medicine, proved wildly effective. It wasn’t just about detox—it was about empowerment. Acupuncture became a form of resistance, a way to reclaim health outside of government control.
Panther Sister Medic at Lincoln Detox serving the people with a free medical check-up
Despite its success, the government cracked down. Shakur was later imprisoned as part of COINTELPRO’s efforts to dismantle Black radical movements. Yet his legacy lives on. Community acupuncture clinics, particularly those serving marginalized groups, trace their roots back to Lincoln Hospital and the Panther-Lords coalition.
Today, as diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are under attack, remembering this history is more important than ever. Community acupuncture isn’t just about healing—it’s about justice, access, and the right to care on our own terms. So let’s honor Shakur, the Young Lords, the Panthers, and all those who fought to make acupuncture a people’s medicine.
Healing is resistance. Healing is revolutionary. And acupuncture is still for the people.
