Did you hear today's episode of #TheDaily from @nytimes with Marjorie Dannenfelser and feel 🤯 listening to all the anti-choice nonsense? If so, here's the real deal on abortion in the US and why this essential health service needs to be protected. (1/x)
guttmacher.org/united-states/… First, let's be clear that abortion patients are largely people like Ms. Dannenfelser: white, hetero, religiously affiliated, and who already have a child. Abortion is an experience shared by 1 in 4 American women, across demographic lines. (2/x) guttmacher.org/united-states/…

It was a beautiful, sunny day in DC, with #RBG smiling down on the crowds at #SCOTUS celebrating her life. Even if you couldn’t be there in person, know that you were there in spirit, through the heartfelt words and thanks of others. #RBGRevolution

“I never expected that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies. I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously. But he never did.” @BarackObama speaks the truth. #DemConvention "And the consequences of that failure are severe: 170,000 Americans dead. Millions of jobs gone. Our worst impulses unleashed, our proud reputation around the world badly diminished, and our democratic institutions threatened like never before.” #Obama on #Covid_19 and more

Rollcall! What a treat to see a little bit of the beauty of America. #DemConvention This is how every convention #RollCall should go from now on--we get policy, personal stories, nature, fun facts, travel inspiration, and enthusiastic voting. I love it. #DemConvention

I'm incredibly proud of my colleagues at #CDC for raising up the issue of racial inequality, both inside and beyond the agency. Having spent 10 years at CDC, I can definitively say that the challenge of racism at the agency is real and that it's past time that it's addressed.

https://twitter.com/NPR/status/1282658738273427456

There are scores of brilliant, talented, creative people of color (especially women of color) at #CDC but they are often unable to move up due to biased hiring. Too often, I saw people hire people who look like them, which has manifested in homogeneity in leadership.

If you're looking for a reminder of who America is this #FourthofJuly, I highly recommend @PadmaLakshmi's show Taste the Nation. The thoughtful, loving profiles of 10 communities, from the Gullah Geechee to Native Americans to Mexicans, reflect our true strength--our diversity. Not only does it cover the history of #immigration, both by choice and against one's will, it explores #ClimateChange, the challenges of being bi/multiracial, manifestations of racism, and more, all through the lens of food.

Those of us without kids need to highlight the struggle of those who do and appreciate how damn hard this is.
nytimes.com/2020/07/02/bus… This episode of the Washington Post's daily podcast has also stuck with me, both in terms of the stats and the personal stories of trying to balance work, family, safety, and one's own sanity.
washingtonpost.com/podcasts/post-…

What the news doesn’t show from the #BlackLivesMatterDC #DCProtests: all the people generously giving out water and snacks, spraying hand sanitizer, and collecting trash. Regular people doing more than the government is. Btw notice the preponderance of mask wearing! DC is taking #COVID19 seriously.

We are clearly at reckoning with race and privilege. But we must make it personal-it can't just be posting with #BlackLivesMatter. I cannot tell you how many times I have gone to events, with joy, only to find myself the only person of color in the room. And every time, it hurts. It makes me question what type of people my liberal, well-educated friends are, what I am to them, and what bubbles we each live in. So I want to humbly issue a challenge, especially to white people, but it applies to us all:

It's been more than 48 hours since I learned that Fernando Morales, a dear friend and colleague from our days together at CDC Rwanda, had passed away from #Covid_19, and yet I'm still in shock. Fernando was the Country Director for ICAP in Tanzania, but also so much more. Fernando was a champion and mentor to all his colleagues, even the most junior. He told me to get out into the field and to challenge myself with new experiences, even when I first started with CDC at 24. He was proud even of silly things, like trying to help change a tire.

We can't travel right now but Yoda can. First stop today, Machu Picchu. Where will he go next? #MayThe4thBeWithYou Next stop for Yoda: the Great Wall of China! #MayThe4th

Last week, colleagues @Guttmacher and I put forward 9 key actions that #Congress should take to support sexual and reproductive rights during the #COVID19Pandemic. As they work on a fourth relief package, here's a reminder of what they should do:
guttmacher.org/article/2020/0… 1) Treat sexual and reproductive health care as the essential care it is. This includes ensuring that patients may continue to travel for reproductive health care even under any measures that restrict most commerce and travel. More on that here:
guttmacher.org/article/2020/0…

Here are my #mondaythoughts. In 2018, colleagues at #CDC & I published a paper about the connections between the US #economy & threats like #COVID19. We highlighted the need for people at the local & state levels to prepare. Here are some key findings:
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.11… "Preparedness in the US at the state & local level can be tracked with the National Health Security Preparedness Index. A 25% difference in index scores exists between the highest-scoring state (#Maryland, 8.0) and the lowest-scoring states (#Alaska & #Nevada, 6.4)."

And it wasn't just us. In 2017 the #GAO published a report on how DOD, HHS (including CDC), and DHS should work together to improve pandemic preparedness. No one listened to them either.
gao.gov/assets/690/682…

https://twitter.com/ZarainDC/status/1244667958967795712

Even though they started out their report with this clarion call: "if a severe infectious disease pandemic were to occur today, the # of U.S. fatalities could be almost twice the total # of battlefield fatalities in all of America’s wars since the American Revolution in 1776."

To help explain the value of #CDC to the stock market-obsessed Trump administration, in Nov 2018 colleagues and I wrote this article about the links between global health security & the US economy, including effects on jobs, tourism, travel, and education.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.11… We even made it an infographic, so they could understand how devastating a global outbreak could be on various sectors, at-a-glance.
cdc.gov/globalhealth/h…

If you want to know why #CDC hasn't be included in the daily WH #coronavirus briefings, it's because Trump has never valued the agency. Here's what the administration has proposed in budget authority for CDC (compared to what Congress appropriated for the prior year): FY18: $4.99 billion (-$1.30 billion)
FY19: $5.52 billion (-$691 million)
FY20: $5.21 billion (-$1.26 billion)
FY21: $5.57 billion (-$1.27 billion)

Today is the 46th anniversary of the #Helms Amendment. Enacted following the #RoevWade decision, Helms restricts US foreign aid for abortion. This policy has not only limited the reach & effectiveness of US global health assistance, but it continues to threaten SRHR worldwide. Helms has long been incorrectly interpreted & implemented as an outright ban on abortion. Even in countries where abortion is legal, Helms has deterred providers from offering abortion-related counseling or referrals, providing safe miscarriage management & more.