uché blackstock, md
@uche_blackstock
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✨Founder x #TIME100 Health x 📚NYT best-selling author, LEGACY 🩺 @vikingbooks, 📕: @sterlinglordlit, 📺: @csetalent, 🗣️: @penguinrandomhouse Speakers Bureau
Joined September 2012
✨I'm back on tour this month & in February! .I’ll be visiting a city near you discussing LEGACY: A BLACK PHYSICIAN RECKONS WITH RACISM IN MEDICINE 🩺 with some of my fave people. Celebrate the PAPERBACK release of my best-selling memoir on January 21!✨.
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People always expect the oppressed to have compassion and never the oppressor.
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I need as many psychiatrists as possible on this bird app to make it clear that Kanye’s anti-Blackness has nothing to do with his bipolar disorder.
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The percentage of physicians who are Black men was the same in 2018 as it was in 1940. 2.6%. Let that sink in.
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Just so everyone knows, if anyone ever stops speaking like that and freezes, call 911. Don’t mess around. Don’t waste time. That person needs a stat head CT.
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Y’all, the fact that the Black-white infant mortality gap is wider today than it was 15 years before slavery ended pretty much sums up how far this country has come in reckoning with racism.
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For all the folks who typically skip the flu shot, this is likely the year that you want to make sure get it.
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Wait, so experts have been raising the alarm about monkeypox for years due to outbreaks in central and west Africa and their warnings went unheeded, but now Europeans and USians are being infected so finally resources are being mobilized and funding redirected? . Got it!.
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@NICKIMINAJ Nicki, I’d love to talk to you about the COVID vaccine. Impotence is significantly more likely from COVID and there have been no documented cases of impotence associated with the COVID vaccine.
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It’s sickening, but unsurprising, what Jeff B*zos and Carnegie Mellon have done to target a Black woman professor for speaking on her and her family’s lived experiences. In case, it’s not clear, this is how the real cancel culture looks.
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The founders never intended for me to become a physician, but here we are.
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Just got stopped on the street by an older Black man who has seen me on @MSNBC and he wanted to share that he had successfully convinced two friends of his, also older Black men, to get vaccinated today. This vaccination effort is a grassroots effort too.
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The Supreme Court's decision to strike down affirmative action, including in professional schools, like medical and nursing, will have detrimental consequences on Black health for generations to come. This is about life & death for us. Today, we are only 5% of physicians.
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This is Riker’s Island, folks. Most of these people have not been convicted of a crime. Shut it down.
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He is likely right and anyone who thinks he’s being an alarmist is in denial.
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A non-Black person of color in my apartment building just sent out an email asking residents to chip in to buy pizza for the police at our neighborhood precinct due to the protests last night. This is why ‘person of color’ is becoming meaningless. Anti-blackness is real, y’all.
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Appointing Chief Diversity Officers to fix institutional racism.
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I will never forget how during this pandemic some people thought wearing a mask was the greatest sacrifice they could make for the safety and well-being of others.
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Just in case you need a reminder that this pandemic is not over, over the last 7 days, there were 73,000 new COVID-19 infections, 5,000 people hospitalized, and 1,000 people died on average *each* day.
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This morning, I stayed after drop-off to read to my first grader’s class. When his teacher asked me how I’d like to introduce myself, I said, “You can tell them I’m E’s mom.” . My child then ran up to me and whispered in my ear, “No, tell them you’re “Dr. Blackstock.””. 🥺😭.
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Many of my colleagues on here have eloquently explained their concerns with the new CDC guidelines, so I’ll just add that any guidelines that include “Talk with your provider.” when 25% of Americans don’t have a PCP and 10% are uninsured is inherently problematic.
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Bring Brittney Griner home. That’s the tweet.
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Shanquella Robinson's mother says if it wasn't for Black Twitter her daughter's case would have gone cold. Initial tweets about the case were solely from Black social media accounts. Even, @nytimes ran their very first story about her case *today*.
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I really try to be thoughtful about how I use my platform on here. I’ve debated sharing the following, but here goes. As a physician and parent of two little ones under 12, I’m more concerned about sending them back for in-person learning this year, than I was last year.
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Tbh, I’m shocked that this tweet hasn’t been deleted yet. Reading it felt like a gut punch. A complete whitewashing of a horrific history that compromised the lives of 623 Black men, their partners, and children. (Yes, some of their babies were born with congenital syphilis.).
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I just finished an almost 13-hour urgent care shift in central #Brooklyn where one patient after another came in with fever, cough, shortness of breath and muscle aches. #COVID2019 is here. I called EMS for 3 patients in respiratory distress. #NewYorkers, please #StayHome.🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿
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I’m beginning to see some signs of hope. Waiting rooms are less full. Fewer sick patients. I was able to take a breath today literally & figuratively at my workstation because our patient volumes are down. I spent more time with patients and felt less rushed. like it used to be.
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Media, stop using "racially motivated". Stop using "racial slur". Call it what it is. It's "racist". It's "racism". It's "white supremacy". Stop trying to sugar coat it.
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Let’s change the narrative around vaccine hesitancy in Black communities to focus on institutional trustworthiness.
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A study out earlier this year suggested that Medicaid expansions led to reduced police arrests, particularly drug-related arrests. Per the authors, "greater insurance coverage creates new avenues for individuals to seek care, receive treatment, and avoid criminalization.".
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DATA ENTRY HELP NEEDED FOR VACCINES AT JAVITS CENTER:. The Javits Center is DESPERATE for help administering the vaccine. Pay is $27/hr & there's lots of OT (12 hour shifts). THIS IS ALL DATA ENTRY! You also get vaccinated in the first couple of days!.
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I just checked and my med school alma mater now costs about $107K a year for tuition, room and board. About 70% of students receive financial aid. So basically, the other 30% are able to pay $430K in cash, which gives you a sense of who is/isn’t represented in med school.
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Yes, I have saved the email. I will report to my PR team tomorrow, but tonight I just want to cuddle my 5-year-old and deal with the ugliness another time.
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Philly gave a 22-year-old white graduate student in psychology, with a startup and no healthcare experience, thousands of vaccines to distribute. It ended up being a mess. He took doses home to vaccinate his girlfriend, while cancelling vaccine appointments for the public.
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LAPD detonated illegal explosives yesterday in a Black and brown neighborhood; residents were injured and homes damaged. The lieutenant blamed, on air, residents for not answering their doors. Appreciate the Black news anchor for doing the job the reporter should’ve been doing.
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PSA: Do not use ‘Black’ as a noun to describe a person or group of people (ex. ‘a Black’ or ‘Blacks’ is a no-no and further it is dehumanizing). Use ‘Black’ as an adjective only (ex. Black woman, Black people.’ . And don’t forget upper-case ‘B’.
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A new study out yesterday is the first to suggest an association between uterine cancer and chemical hair straighteners. Using hair straighteners *doubled* the risk of developing uterine cancer by the age of 70.
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My 6-year-old just received an award for best academic performance in his first-grade class and I’m an emotional mess because he dealt with a pandemic and his parents’ divorce and he not only did he do well, but he soared. 😭😭🙏🏿🙏🏿.
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The American Rescue Plan allocated $130 billion to keep schools safe in this pandemic. Illinois alone received $5 billion. Where did billions of dollars go to? There needs to be a public accounting state-by-state on how these funds were utilized.
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My kids’ pediatrician’s office just emailed us:. “Our practice has reviewed the safety and efficacy data presented by Pfizer to the FDA and once approved we recommend strongly and without reservation that ALL newly eligible children be vaccinated as soon as possible.”. 🙌🏿🙌🏿👏🏿👏🏿.
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In theory, we knew repeated COVID reinfections were bad, but a study out today in @Nature of 5.8 million people shows that each reinfection significantly increases the risks of complications, like diabetes and kidney problems, hospitalizations and death.
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My 5-year-old followed me into my room this evening, sat on the floor, and spontaneously declared, "I want COVID to be over." . It's such a tough time for our littles too.
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Few people, including Black folks who work in predominantly white settings, can even fathom the degree of emotional, psychological, and mental fortitude required to keep your poise and composure in the face of this ridiculous and insulting line of questioning.
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That tweet by P******* R***** should be disqualifying for any Dean position at a University.
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The media is referring to last night’s VP debate as “civilized”, a term rooted in colonizer ideology. Even though there was no yelling or bullying, Pence lied, evaded. gaslighted and interrupted throughout the entire debate. His behavior was violent towards Harris in its own way.
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Black women with a college education or greater have a higher infant mortality rate than white women who have a high school diploma. In fact, the infant mortality rate is highest for Black women with a doctorate or professional degree. because racism.
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I’ve been scared to speak up more about Gaza. I feel unburdened to share I’ve been targeted & disparaged, as a Black woman physician, by nefarious forces within medicine, because of my pro-humanity stance, but NO MORE. I CANNOT be more scared than Palestinians in this moment.
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If you're eligible, get your updated COVID boosters before you have to pay out-of-pocket for them. and that will likely happen at some point this winter.
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The quickness with which European countries have already instituted travel bans against South Africa, but yet have done little to nothing to address the vaccine inequity that drives new variants….
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At a bare minimum, free high-quality masks, rapid at-home tests and HEPA filters should be sent to every U.S. household. Why isn’t this happening?!?.
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A thread for *when* to use rapid tests, but essentially use for the following:. 1) 5 days after exposure.2) If symptomatic.3) B4 visiting someone who is unvaccinated, immunocompromised or elderly.4)B4 large gatherings. **Take two tests 24-48 hours apart.
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Ending state-wide mask mandates and other public health measures because case counts are decreasing is like stopping your blood pressure medication because your numbers have improved. In both situations, the numbers will likely go right back up.
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Institutionalized racism working as designed. Felicity Huffman sentenced to 2 weeks in jail for paying $15,000 to rig her daughter’s SAT. Tanya McDowell, a Black woman who was homeless, sentenced to 12 years for sending her child to school in Norwalk, but ‘lived’ in Bridgeport.
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Some folks are in my mentions saying they don’t care what color their doctor is and all they want is a qualified doctor. BUT, the data shows for Black patients, the race of our health professionals does INDEED make a difference in the care we receive. Sad, but reality. THREAD.
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When this is all said and done, we’ll have to discuss how traumatizing this week has been, particularly for Black Americans. As if the trauma of the pandemic and police killings wasn’t enough, half of this country has clearly signaled that they don’t give a damn about us.
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Every healthcare professional should be required to know and understand why redlined neighborhoods from the 1930s correspond to areas with the worst racial health inequities today.
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Study: Wealthiest Black Moms More Likely To Die In Childbirth Than Poorest White Moms. In data from California, household income played absolutely no role in determining maternal and infant health outcomes.
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As a healthcare worker, I would be one of the first groups eligible for a vaccine in November. Despite the horror of what I've seen from #coronavirus firsthand, I would not take a vaccine that had not undergone Phase 3 clinical trials. Period.
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Just anecdotally speaking, it's clear people are misinterpreting the CDC's new "low" community COVID-19 levels to mean low transmission levels, when in fact it means, if you get infected and need one, a hospital bed will be available.🙃.
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Woke up still thinking about CDC Director’s tweet from yesterday. Actually, we *do* know how to slow COVID spread by implementing a multi-layered mitigation strategy. No, singling out only China for testing is *not* part of that strategy and will only breed xenophobia & racism.
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Why is the word stolen in quotes in your headline, @NPR?. Physicians at @JohnsHopkins removed tumor cells from Ms. Lacks’ cervix without her knowledge or consent and used them for medical research. Thermo Fisher has made staggering profits as a result.
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Sobering new data from the last few years showing the U.S. maternal mortality rate continues to exceed that of other high-income countries. This horrifyingly high rate is driven especially by the deaths of Black birthing people.
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How will the @CDCgov rationalize their 5 day isolation recommendation now that the President has rebound COVID?🤔.
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Another story, that I have not shared, behind this picture is when my son first told his preschool teacher that I was a doctor she did not believe him. until I came in for show-and-tell with my stethoscope. I still feel both angry and sad for my child.
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They smeared feces throughout the hallways of the Capitol. And we are the ones treated as animals.
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Unbelievable, @nytopinion. For context, one in every 480 Black Americans, one in every 390 Hispanic Americans and one in every 240 Native Americans have been killed by COVID-19. More than one in every 150 seniors (age 65 or older) have died, including one in 35 people over 85.
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1) free high-quality masks and rapid tests for every person.2) indoor mask policies in public places.3) domestic air travel vaccine mandate.4) nonessential workers WFH for next 3-4 weeks, as well as remote school option.5) workplace safety standards for essential workers.
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I hope folks realize that if the CDC is (finally) explicitly recommending wearing masks in areas of high transmission (…”or if you choose” - we’ll deal with that another time) it means they are especially worried about this XBB1.5 variant and you should be too.
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Today, January 1, 2020 is my first day of freedom, so to speak. Yesterday was my last official day in academia & in my diversity leadership role. I felt suffocated by not being able to speak the truth about racism & sexism embedded in institutional culture. Today, I am free.
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Today, we celebrate Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler (Feb 8, 1831–March 9, 1895), the 1st Black women to receive a Doctor of Medicine in the United States. She graduated in 1864 from the New England Female Medical College in Boston. Currently, only 2% of U.S. physicians are Black women.
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Last month, I was invited by a health tech company to deliver a keynote talk at their annual conference next month. During the intro call, they explicitly told me that they did not want me to focus on systemic racism in the talk, but instead on the social determinants of health.
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Wow, goosebumps! . The first person vaccinated in NYC is a Black woman receiving the vaccine from another Black woman against a virus that has disproportionately killed Black Americans due to systemic racism. Thank you nurse Sandra Lindsay and the clinician vaccinating her!.
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“Now this is the evidence. You want me to make an act of faith, risking myself, my wife, my woman, my sister, my children on some idealism which you assure me exists in America, which I have never seen.”. Happy Birthday, James Baldwin.🙏🏿.
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The White House ending the public health emergency declaration terminates medical coverage (COVID vaccines, treatments, testing) for the uninsured that is a basic human right in any other high-income country.
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6-year-old tonight: “Mama, did I hear you say that when you went out to dinner the other night they gave you the COVID vaccine?”. Me: “COVID vaccines at the restaurant?”. 6-year-old: “Yeahhhh, mama, I heard you say the waiter gave you free shots.”. 😂😂😭😭. These COVID times….
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I’m overwhelmed at the idea of having a President who believes in science.
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President Biden, it’s time for that air travel vaccine mandate.
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Someone, please tell President Biden to rest. Seriously, we need to stop this messaging of working through illness. In medicine of all disciplines, it happens all the time. People are expected to come to work sick…and then care for patients. Enough.
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It’s official! I’ve been promoted from Assistant to Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at NYU School of Medicine. #whatanassociateprofessorlookslike.
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I'm speechless. I attended medical school with Dr. Joseph Ladapo and to say I'm shocked by his opposition to mask and vaccine mandates is an understatement. I could have never imagined this news.
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Twitter may not be real life, but my literary agent found me on here last year, and now I have a book deal.
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Just returned from my father’s homeland, Jamaica, and their mask-wearing game was literally at 100% the entire time. In both local and tourist spots. Indoors and outdoors. In 80-something degree weather. No complaints at all.
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A Black woman will have had a significant role in the development of #COVID19 vaccines and in saving the world. Her stolen cells were used in vaccine development. This year, she would have been 100. Henrietta Lacks. Know her name. Know her contributions.
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The testing situation in Brooklyn is getting worse and becoming untenable. This morning, there are very long lines. It’s 40 degrees and windy. There are elderly, people with disabilities, and young children waiting. People are wrapped in blankets and sitting in folding chairs.
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Tbh, when I went on that website today and ordered those rapid tests in less than 20 seconds, I got a little emotional thinking about what could be and should be. Health is a human right.
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Today, Black babies are more than 2x as likely to die in their 1st year than white babies, due to racism - a wider disparity now than 15 yrs b4 the end of slavery (white enslavers had a $$ interest in keeping Black babies alive!!!). These suits are sick and the intent is clear.
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We can’t resign ourselves to fatalism. “People won’t wear masks.”. “They won’t get vaccinated.”. “There’s no political will.”. We must keep using our voices holding our electeds accountable. We have not nearly tried everything in the toolbox yet. We can’t give up.
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Hi everyone, I know that COVID hasn’t been in the mainstream news much over the last few weeks, but we’re still very much in a pandemic. Mask up in indoor public areas. Try to stock up on your rapid tests. If you’re eligible to be vaccinated and boosted, please do.
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My 6-year-old brought this family painting home from school. I almost cried from relief because this is what almost 8 months of healthy co-parenting looks like, in the midst of a pandemic. He still sees us as a family. (Note: I’m actually 7 inches shorter than his father. Lol.)
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I would caution people in the U.S. from comparing lifting COVID public health measures in Western European countries to doing so here in the U.S. Those countries have much higher vaccination rates than the United States does and they also have social supports for their citizens.
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So why am I, as a Black woman with an MD, more likely to die of pregnancy related complications that a white woman with an 8th grade education if it’s not about racism???.
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Suspended for "failure to comply", bc he wants to wear his natural hair long. Now, they are forcibly transferring him to a disciplinary alternative school all because of his hair, but it's never really about the hair. They want to put him in his place. Assimilate or get out. .
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That smile you keep on your face until you’re absolutely certain you’ve clicked ‘Leave Meeting’.
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Our new 21-year-old babysitter to me: “I didn’t know you were Instagram-famous. I follow you.”. 6-year-old (in matter-of-fact tone): “You should see her Twitter following.”. 😂😭.
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Anyone else unable to sleep last night thinking about where they could move to that would be safe to raise their children?.
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I don’t think lay folks get the gravity of the situation in NYC. Literally every patient that walks into my urgent care has COVID 19. I know this not because I’ve tested them, but because they all have the *same* story, regardless of age, race or gender. 1/.
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