These were the days before affirmative action.
I was a youngster and curious, so I asked, "Why do you go to a black dentist?".
His reply has stayed with me ever since.
He replied, "for a black man to become a dentist means that he must be better than any white dentist, and I want the best!"
It took me a few more years to understand his reasoning, but the civil rights movement opened my eyes to the institutional bigotry and discrimination that was prevalent before those days.
Everything is just reversed today.
Now you have to wonder if a black professional reached his position by his own talents or was handed an extra 20 points because of his complexion.
I, for one, couldn't agree more. The best MD I ever had was when my husband was active duty AF. The fellow was a black, pre-AA, military MD. Alas, all too shortly thereafter he retired from the AF, and went into private practice somewhere out of state. He's probably is making a million $$ a year...and, God bless him, he's worth every penny of it.
But like you said, things are now reversed. From bitter experience I now avoid younger (than, say 40) minority and/or female "health care providers" like the plague. I mean, holy mackeral!
The MDs I seek out now are asian-American males. B/c like your father's dentist 40 years ago it means he must be better -- a lot better-- than those others.