Thread by @usnehal

Frankly every single person has some kind of privilege. If you have sight or two functioning legs you lack certain barriers

Acknowledging the same about structural racism is not insulting

unless you have cultural chauvinism/superiority & believe your own culture faultless

https://twitter.com/jerrysoucyrn/status/1345093301465214978

Personally, as someone Muslim, what I was taught about my purpose on this earth is the every single thing I “have” is only loaned to me and nothing I am entitled to.

You have to pay interest on loans.

More you have, more you must give (back).

Of course I face barriers too.

I don’t talk about religion a lot. I am deeply spiritual. I do believe Islam is “a way of life.”

I am less worried about reciting the exact right dua/prayer when stepping in a room with the correct foot.

Hadith can be disputed but this one is beautiful. Mercy matters most.

Most Abrahamic religions have the story of Job - nothing you have is "yours" and it all can disappear overnight. That's something my own family's history over generations of living through wars, countries dissolving, etc taught me early - riches to rags to riches or health issues

So how do people give? That is often the point of contention? Who do we consider "deserving"? Who is the correct steward of money and who is the correct gatekeeper? That's where there can be a divide between religion and secular - via "church" or "state"?

christianitytoday.com/news/2018/july…

That is where it gets tricky, regardless of by which institution one "gives." It can seem generous but how often are you exerting control over others by being the source of money or resources? Are you imposing your beliefs on others? Do you respect others' autonomy?

Having been in non-profit, including secular spaces, this is the crux of the issue. Those who *do* see themselves as "privileged" may be on boards but may bring with them a cultural chauvinism or class beliefs or educational elitism about "knowing best" and imposing on others.

I see a lot of anti-government types of any community giving but only when they personally vet the individuals or only through the filter of their own religious or ideological beliefs. In secular non-profits I see vicious turf wars to get dollars sent to THEM and not another org

Recently a friend of mine wanted to start an advocacy org who does not have much experience in this space. I was like, OMG, you do NOT want to get into that mess. It is SO political. People will cut you. It starts off with good intentions but it ends up feeling corporate at times

Everyone loves you as long as you show up with skills, time, resources, talent & give under THEIR brand for free & they can monetize what you do for them. 👍 Even without getting paid, so much gets political. But there is so much ego and "I am a good person" oneup(wo)manship.

Being Muslim, I'm suuuuuuper careful about vetting where my money goes when I donate & come down suuuuuper hard on everyone on paperwork. Because there is a ton of scrutiny & I don't want any questions asked later that we did not adhere to standards. Document perfectly up front.

Doing a lot of work in interfaith settings, it is hard when it is a Muslim organization leading the work because we have to adhere to a much higher bar than religious organizations not under constant surveillance as a potential terror threat. Other organizations can fudge more.

Like this interfaith heart health initiative that served 6 communities in Chicago: 3 churches & 3 masjids

My time was volunteer but I secured a grant to pay others giving trainings, the project manager.

But hard get compliance from all community sites on data reporting.

While I personally do my best to pay down my “debt” of blessings/privileges, the level of compliance I must adhere to and enforce on others

to match surveillance of Muslim charities

gets in the way of Muslims being leaders in community work in America

aclu.org/blog/national-…

Then there is the parallel issue in academia & so-called “professionalism”

who has to prove they fit into ethnocentric systems & rules?

who gets a pass like #MedBikini or Wakefield (violating ethics)..only later their papers retracted

while others never get thru the gate?

I have a lot of conversations with BIPOC on fellow BIPOC who only have “mainstream” & not BIPOC friends or choose to assimilate into a white spouse’s family

just making a personal choice?
“sell out”?
token/apologist?
being strategic?
etc

People can choose as they like, IMHO

I only recently learned the terms white adjacent and white passing

If BIPOC “whiten” their resumes to get jobs, then these issues matter

A lot of Muslims do think hard, how much can/should we engage in our own communities

I’ve leaned into my identity

nytimes.com/2020/02/28/opi…

Like when I was identifying on wrong, misuse of “professionalism” without any standards used vs a Black trainee, talking about *standards* or lack of them

which is commonly used against Black & BIPOC

my race was brought up to criticize

This is: use POC vs POC to cancel/silence

I’m not Indian. The Indian military forces dropped a bomb in civilian areas, killing my only paternal uncle. (No blame to Indian *people* for it)

evidence that people assume, don’t verify,see only color

Yet above is the behavior of those who police “ethics” & “professionalism”?

Or this in professional settings where a white male (potential) boss makes assumptions about how Muslim women are treated & thinks he is doing me a favor to treat me marginally better

This happens repeatedly
especially in higher levels or dealing with board members
or
donors

https://twitter.com/usnehal/status/1224481685191962625

Speaking of donors, who is it that we interface with when we take millions in charitable donations?

Why do we use the example of “at risk” (BIPOC) YOUTH to justify “reform” of a wealthy middle aged white male pedophile?

Why does a man go to *women* & shop for options/opinions?

Every time I start to rise
within a sector
whether it is nonprofit, government, academia

find above:
boards, donors, powerful collaborators

some are, frankly, often criminal or corrupt but use their privilege
Some BIPOC & women rising are complicit

The rest of us are leaving

https://twitter.com/dromolara/status/1345029707650265089

Earlier in my career ascribed somewhat to the “lean in”

@MichelleObama is right
That 💩 don’t work
Some of us diligently follow the rules and are accountable
Others take short cuts including harm to others

Let’s stop saying women hold ourselves back

Weaving my frequent reference to this into this thread too

women are hired to be in compliance

=diligently enforcing rules that somebody else wrote
without questioning if they are even valid

Add what we know of bias (see above) - these actions become inherently racist/sexist

Bringing this tweet in here - these are the kinds of roles I have been offered as well

like Vice President of Medical Affairs for over 700 staff

CEO/board = who creates & approves vision & direction. CMO delivers

What if rare POC on a board or exec suite or rest are complicit?

https://twitter.com/usnehal/status/1345404929905741824

Sheryl Sandberg saying that women are not loud enough?

Nobody has accused me of that in recent years 😂

I do sit at the table
I ask MANY ?s

I do bring a chair
In fact I bring a few chairs to bring others along

What I don’t do is align with status quo - I am an activist

And yet those who criticize me the most
about tweeting too much
taking up too much space
using to many words

..are often women
..women in compliance

Who do NOT do work in marginalized communities

I AM loud
I persist
I talk “too much”
Guilty...of not following invalid rules

I use, w/in appropriate parameters, institutional resources

to democratize access
push boundaries/walls that keep others out

my being at places like @MIT @HarvardChanSPH @harvardmed @mghfc @MassGeneralNews
@BostonChildrens @bcmhouston are all privileges

I left an “elite” college like @Wellesley to go to #Pakistan at 19, lived there for the first time in my life

was less expensive & faster
NOT easy tho
then, “lean in”
USMLE: 99%
got a “top 5” residency
-> CMO

Now: “made it”
Pushed past many barriers
“Pushy?” - often label used

the work I do often has me going

toe to toe with pretty NOT civil types

I don’t get to be “delicate”
(while I do not agree with Christina Sommers) a “fainting couch” feminist

delicate does not help me:

-wrest $60K from a board for 3 women to get $20K raises
-deal with this

The targeting of me online

was part of an uptick of broader intimidation campaign pre-election towards minorities & progressives

the other thing that I was doing in addition to informing public (mainly marginalized communities) about #publichealth best practices

was GOTV

https://twitter.com/usnehal/status/1318866463818698752

You CAN experience trauma AND be targeted AND be privileged

Yes, I worked 3x harder, often for low/no pay to “have” what I have - I still consider it a blessing, not “mine”

Too many people seem unable to get past self/ego/own perspective

Privilege does not mean no struggle

If we

overvalue own struggles/work

focus only on own barriers

don’t get over imposter syndrome

are puritanical towards others on their behavior w/out questioning if own standards are even valid

we will never understand “privilege”

will be never address structural inequity

Further, we MUST make sure we democratize access. Bring EVERYONE to the table. True stakeholder/community partnership

Walls? No
Clubs? No
Silos? No
Shush? No
Censor? No

As per this below, the same ppl who cause the problems/exploit inequity cannot be put in charge to fix them

https://twitter.com/aishaschachar/status/1345394031929552896

I do NOT trust anyone who prioritizes prestige, reputation, optics.

Nothing wrong with “brand”

But WHAT is your brand?
Do you have ethics first?

Are you known to be inclusive?
Do you make space for those at the margins?
Do they feel “safe” in your spaces?
ARE they safe?

https://twitter.com/usnehal/status/1276084364053549059

On what basis does “the system”

that repeatedly allows abuse, whether in elite boarding schools, Boy Scouts, churches, or ICE facilities decide whose children to take away?

Frankly, I cannot participate in this form of family separation anymore.

Need to go upstream.

https://twitter.com/usnehal/status/1270671848628539393

I had been interviewed in the foster care space. Looked up the board, full c-suite (met some of them in interview to potentially join at that level). NO diversity.

I asked questions in the interview.

I know I disqualify myself from many jobs by the types of questions I ask.

https://twitter.com/usnehal/status/1213310202348482561

In comparison, this is exciting

“Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ) is breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty with on-the-ground, all-around programming that builds up opportunities for children and families to thrive in school, work and life.”

prnewswire.com/news-releases/…

Need to respect family integrity as much as we can

Too often, see people denying their privilege from “the system”
while having cultural chauvinism that a Eurocentric, ethnocentric way is best

We have been separating Black & brown families for centuries

time.com/5906441/family…

So while I get the concept of “privilege”

I also think we need people to focus less on “my” vs “your” privilege

and more on structural fixes.

Too often the answer to “privilege”

is “charity”/giving money then controlling - including in science

wired.com/story/the-prob…

To administrators, it is all about “money is money”

Privilege -> donations
👍they figure

but it is NOT “just money” - donations are made through relationships

Is Epstein someone we want visiting campus 9 times?

Families live on campus
Undergrads are still in their teens

Similarly, we say “hire women”, we tout how “ethical” women are. Sheryl Sandberg was “the adult in the room” at Facebook as an operating officer. In fact she was delivered on business objectives of growth & profit and took a lead on ethical failures. Then, Amy Cooper’s “cry wolf”

Amy Cooper issue a fake “distress” call?
When held accountable by a Black man - invokes ugly history, of white women claiming to be attacked

Same done to me when I contacted @USC their faculty posting threatening messages to Black trainee & Asian nurse

medium.com/@smojarad/onli…

If “verify” is “bullying” by faculty teaching professionalism and communication...we have some really big problems

MUST be factual

People wait until harm has been done

NO

PREVENT harm

Trainees experience this for reporting faculty behavior, thus, faculty must report faculty

https://twitter.com/ericamichelle44/status/1343568690550173696

I have published #MedEd curricula via peer review & was at the time complying with @Aamc criteria to publish on refugee health

Consent matters
Verified facts matter
Reading correctly matters
Faculty are role models on ethics

Yet is what many “professionalism” faculty violate

There are too many who are appointing themselves as judge & jury

without standards
not verifying facts

bypassing ethical processes

doing EXACTLY what we know causes the entire field of professionalism to be biased, non-scientific, unethical

Manufacturing low quality “#EBM”

To be clear we need to dismantle/reform the ENTIRE “professionalism” field

In a pandemic, with layoffs of practicing clinicians, the medicine & #STEM must STOP pushing out its accomplished midcareer & early career BIPOC

If my tweets perceived an “attack”, yes...on harm

not shocking I got so much blowback from #medTwitter

when I was proactive on following anti-racism teaching that I received from black women

I work within marginalized communities & received personal threats of violence vs my own Muslim identity

Shushing activism is the norm:

https://twitter.com/dromolara/status/1229050343478132737

There is a wrong narrative that Black people now have “enjoyed” so much “extra” access that there is now some kind of “reverse racism”

this is led by non-Black BIPOC (South Asian, Asian)

This is WRONG, factually and ethically

Crowd out? legacy admits

nytimes.com/2020/02/18/us/…

I say a lot of unpopular things

drawing the ire of “white adjacent” BIPOC who leverage non-specific “POC” to speak w/ authority vs equity or vs dismantling racist structures

these are concentric circles

(South) Asians are not at the furthest margin

theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…

Some South Asians of my generation are seeing themselves in an American context & engaging authentically with historically marginalized communities

Many of our parents got visas thanks to outcomes of Civil Rights work

You can be BOTH POC and have privilege

Pay your dues

To self identified conservative @sarah_mojarad teaching “professionalism” in #STEM at @USC & her Medium piece on “USN” (above)

best practices from anti-racism, advocacy for marginalized populations are not “harassment”
=Trope

Amy Cooper reported being attacked too

Reality:

https://twitter.com/usnehal/status/1265425020551077888

The reason I “won’t let it go “is cuz reports of career-ending harm are constantly in my feed, driven by misuse of “professionalism”

Even in death #DrSusanMoore vilified for her knowledge, called “intimidating” to nurses (invoking woman vs woman)

Wordsmithing for “optics”

Gender & race determines response to speaking from a position of knowledge or citing standards

Some are believed while others are not believed

Those in community health & equity typically also ridiculed vs respected in medicine (Goldfarb in WSJ)

It is familiar in a tired way

I can both be threatened by (armed) alt right AND be privileged. Past harm to me by anyone else canNOT justify my becoming self centered or selfish. There are “dues” I owe to society as well as to those who fought (& shot/killed) in the Civil Rights movement for my rights today.

I publish on trauma-informed care, #MedEd, #equity, #diversity, #mentalhealth especially for marginalized cuz I do believe education is a crucial component. But we MUST dismantle the -isms in EDUCATION itself, not thru identity but ethics, standards, consistency, transparency.

https://twitter.com/usnehal/status/1133126403204046849

As a #pediatrician I was a mandated reporter.

I look back - did I have excessive trust in the system, not examining what biases I may have had regarding Black & brown families?

We all have internalized/accommodated/taught to justify system harms.

This takes hard work to see.

https://twitter.com/tamorahlewismd/status/1343329097150312450

I know we are all struggling in this pandemic. NO ONE feels “privileged” But all the MORE reason we MUST stay vigilant. Burnout leads to depersonalization. Racism dehumanizes. Sexism devalues. Ableism infantilizes. When we are tired/stressed the biases WILL come out & harm.

We know this on public interest & complex policy issues. Already see people wanting equity fixed already

If you can “drop it” that’s a privilege

Takes
courage
persistence
grit
strategy
ethics
So much of above could be fixed if we were just ethical

nationalaffairs.com/public_interes…

@threadreaderapp please unroll