Just stop these tiny violins. As a woman of color who lost my mother to the pandemic, as a licensed physician, and as a public servant, I can say it is EXACTLY women like Dr. Birx who drive out women like me from “her” turf & prematurely end the lives of women like my mother.
You don’t have to buy an assault rifle and show up to shoot someone’s mother to have blood on your hands.
Bureaucrats like Dr. Birx has blood on their hands no different from as if she did this. You can kill, passively, while wrapped in an Hermès scarf.
When I look at reactions to Birx, several faculty defending her
deeply concerns me how strong the Colonial mind control still is in South Asian women
some of whom are born and raised here
South Asians: Look at anti-Asian hate
You are not white
You can & will go under the bus
I fully expect WW to see selves in Birx & close ranks. This apology piece, as if Birx were a naive child, unable to operate in a “male-centered” world, typical
Look, if you want to be a scientist & just do the work, great. There thousands of non-profits, universities, aid agencies to do #publichealth and #policy.
If you seek out the limelight, guess what, you will have public accountability for when you betray science. Sounds...fair
Last night, a woman opened up a space - I am so humbled & honored to have been there. Instead of the curated communication, women from around the world were real with each other on struggles, hopes, successes #WomensHistoryMonth#womenintech#WomenInSTEM#WomenInLeadership
I am fired up today but in a very hopeful way. Things are changing. We spoke of how to activate allies and how to choose when to speak and when to navigate. To be honest, this space was in a broader space I had started to get so frustrated with I was settling into cynicism.
That female energy was particularly meaningful as I'm still raw and processing the loss of my mother. Mommy was like my own personal Ruth Bader Ginsberg speaking the Queen's English as taught to her by German nuns in Karachi (yeah that's a brain pretzel) and using due process.
Even if, let's say we think "well, ok towards others' kids but mine...they are precious and need to be protected jewels" in fact, there is no such protection for the so-called model minority. No matter how fast you pedal on that Peloton, you will face:
It's impressive how much people are willing to portray selves as powerless victims forced into putting a pretty face on hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths.
I don't believe in "shame" - in every form it is toxic. I do believe in being honest. Doctors still have power.
I've been in the #publichealth arena myself and in the executive suite arena. I get the "if I am not 'in the room' I will lose power and things will be worse" dilemma
BUT
I am done with narrative and ego
Results, people
>500,000 deaths
Leave and do something better