Thread by @DrMonicaCox

A year ago today somebody thought it would be cute to print out my tweets & humiliate me publicly on a meeting.

I had lost my voice from the stress and I came home and collapsed.

There are some days you never forget. #life

That was the day that I knew I couldn’t go on like that. I realized that my job was not sustainable without larger organization change. I could not fight that battle 4 yrs more feeling attacked all the time.

Something in me was snuffed out that day & I never recovered.

It was public humiliation after humiliation with no protection.

No one I know has been embarrassed like that even when they deserved to be.

Hit after hit after hit for years.

People have no idea the toll that took on me, my mind, and my family.

It was appalling.

I kept all that pain in me another 6 months.

I kept going hit after hit after hit.

Humiliation that never ended.

Tears upon tears when it ended.

There are ways to give feedback about a person that are professional & ways that aren’t. The thing that stood out is that no one in that room would have wanted for someone to speak about them that way. You can dislike someone, but it’s about your approach.

The reason I even found out about this is that some folks were repulsed. It didn’t feel right to them, & we questioned how #WOC are treated & evaluated & the role of intersectionality in evaluations of #WOC. This began a conversation about equity & respect.

I didn’t find out what the tweet was & didn’t want to know.
I was floored at the approach & heart behind it.
A wall went up that day in that org, and it hasn’t come back down.

This is why many Black people put on masks at work- for protection. Hearts can only take so much.