All is not well in America
Leaders must accept responsibility for the fact that some in our communities do not feel fully welcome.
Topic: Diversity, Inclusion and Equity
Higher Ed
Zero tolerance for discrimination and harassment
I’m proud that our Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health ASPPH has a new policy that states that we have zero tolerance for discrimination and harassment. As the organization that represents academic public health, our commitment to zero tolerance is important. It also should be a message to any faculty or staff member whose behavior is less than honorable. Zero tolerance means no tolerance.
Government
Can’t stop thinking about the children
Consequences of maltreatment at the border are immediate, severe and long-lasting I woke up about 3 o’clock Sunday morning. I just could not stop thinking about what our government is doing to immigrant children at the southern U.S. border. According to a recent interview with Jack Shonkoff, professor at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard...
Government
The challenge of Independence Day in 2019
What does it mean to celebrate July 4th? Across America, thousands of communities will celebrate today in big and small ways, with local and larger events, holiday fare, parades, music and readings of the Declaration of Independence. Some people may not get past the hot dogs and watermelon, but I hope that many will think,...
Global
Lamenting devastating attacks in Sri Lanka
As many were celebrating Easter Sunday and Passover under a beautiful blue Carolina sky and elsewhere, a horrible tragedy unfolded halfway around the world, in Sri Lanka. We are saddened and sickened at the scale of the tragedy in Sri Lanka, where more than 300 people died and another 500 were injured when churches and...
Global
Responding to Anti-Semitism
On Friday, April 12, we learned about a video from a musical performance at a three-day "Conflict over Gaza" conference held on campus in March 2019. We co-sponsored the conference, just as we co-sponsor many campus conferences for which we are not responsible (i.e., don't participate in planning; don't see the speaker list or agenda).
Gun Violence
Guns and threats of violence have no place on this campus
On two of the past three weekends, members of pro-Confederacy groups have visited our campus to continue to protest the toppling and removal of the Confederate soldier monument. I did not write after the first incident because one event, although deplorable, could be an anomaly. When the second event occurred, I felt compelled to respond. Two events could be the beginning of a trend.
Students
Becoming: A refreshing reminder that public service is not the swamp
I have been moved to tears reading parts of Michelle Obama’s autobiographical book, Becoming. It is uplifting and validating to read the unfolding of her and Barack Obama’s intertwined stories. As she tells it, while much was different about their upbringing and childhoods, they shared a devotion to learning, introspection about their missions in life,...
Gun Violence
In response to more violence and hatred
Do we turn inward to retreat or say ‘Enough’? Over the weekend, in reaction to the awful events of the past week, a woman I know well, an immigrant to the U.S. and now a citizen, asked me, “What is wrong with your country?” She was being facetious, because it is her country, too –...
Government
Transgender is not a binary issue
Why does the administration want to make it one? After I finished my MPH program, I worked in Detroit at Wayne State University School of Medicine for two years. Wayne State was a center of excellence for people seeking sex reassignment surgery. I audited a fascinating course on issues around transgender surgery, taught by a physician in the department of psychiatry....
Public Health
I voted. Hope you will too.
Early voting must stay I voted early. That way, whatever happens, it’s done. I cannot imagine not voting. It’s not something we should take for granted, especially as the world is experiencing a drift from democratic principles. Whoever you vote for, please vote. Some people say they didn’t vote in an election because there were no good candidates to choose from or the outcome didn’t matter. Outcomes matter. There are...
Public Health
Authentic conversations about adverse childhood experiences
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) – defined as abuse, neglect and family/household challenges experienced during the first 18 years of life — are not evenly distributed among populations. Members of minority groups and children who grow up in poverty have more of them. ACEs can cast long shadows over lives and affect education, health, income and...
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