Girl, What’s Been Going On?

Is it really July? We’re like really at the midway point of 2023! Is that wild to anyone but me? 🤯

I can’t help but me in a time of reflection and appreciation for all that 2023 has brought as we embark on this midpoint. Remember I shared my quarterly review with you in April - well now is the time for another check-in. What has happened with those goals you put forth at the start of the year? Are you on track, or do you need to make a large scale pivot with six months left in the year? Let’s get after it.

Step 1. Check Your Vision Board. After six months of staring at your vision board, by know it should feel like another appendage. I see mine every time I pick up my phone, and if you know me, you know my phone is constantly near me, for the good and the bad of that. Remember in Q1, we added virtual or physical stickers to celebrate accomplishments? Well, it’s time to do that again, but this time take a really good look at what pictures/phrases/ideas are left. Do they align with where you are right now? If not, it might be time to remove and replace. I know it my feel taboo, but if something isn’t serving you, why are you keeping it within your vision? 🤔Afraid to move forward… let me give you a sneak into what I’m removing from my board — all things race related. Last quarter I told myself that I would give myself the rest of the year to reframe, refocus, and recenter myself in the world of fitness and races. That means I no longer need to be reminded of the goals I had for myself at the start of this year because I WILL NOT be completing them (and that’s absolutely okay). Have you made similar decisions? If you haven’t, I hope you feel empowered to look at what is/isn’t serving and let it go! (cue Elsa in the background)

Step 2. Check-in With Your Word. That pesky word of the year is back. Has it been whispering in your ear like sweet missives from a partner, or has it been flying around you like a gnat? Time to investigate how you feel about your word and whether it will take you into the next half of the year, proud, or ashamed. If the latter, you know what I’m about to say… let it go. You might be asking yourself, well then what was the point of choosing a word at the beginning of the year? To give you something to embrace as a version of you that was six months younger and less wise. You today, is not you from January 2023, and that is beautiful. You today, does not have to apologize for saying, that version of me is no longer in the driver’s seat and I want to direct my energy in a different direction. That’s growth, and I love to see it.

Step 3. Follow-Up On Your Goals. You can probably sense what needs to happen here. Reflect. Rework. Remove. Repeat. That’s it. The four Rs will take you through your goal list and what I hope is staring back at you when you finish is a list of goals that honor where you are now and where you want to be when that countdown ball hits the cold December ground.

Step 4. CELEBRATE! This is for everyone, no matter how you feel after looking back at the last six months. CELEBRATE that you made it through the first half of 2023 (and didn’t end up on the wrong side of an orca… 😏). Even if you feel like you didn’t accomplish enough or anything at all, CELEBRATE. We deserve to CELEBRATE every day, every minute, every chance we get. So whether you decide to do something big or small, celebrate that you’re still making it. And just so you know, I’m proud of you! Life is not easy and I need you to know that there is someone on this side of the world rooting for you! Always! 💐

If you’re interested in learning more about my personal six month review, check out a free trial of the HEJ Inner Circle. Members of the Inner Circle get access to exclusive AMAs, a more personal newsletter, and more exciting features to come.

Year 2 has already started and I’m loving one of my classes in a way that I have not experienced before at JHSPH.

BUT

As I began writing this, the news of the SCOTUS decision came in and I need to address that because it has so much to do with school and how I came to be where I am.

If you haven’t read or seen yet, on June 29, the SCOTUS dismantled years of legal precedent and stated that affirmative action is no longer legal in private university admissions. While the decision did not fully dismantle affirmative action in its entirety, it did lay the groundwork for more to be overturned in the future. If you’ve been following along, this decision should not be surprising or shocking. It has been in the plans of the conservative right for decades. They gave us the blueprint to their heist of American liberties long ago, but somehow we just didn’t believe them? 🙄

Here’s my TL:DR synopsis of what happened. It’s okay to get rid of affirmative action today because white women have milked the cow for all that it’s worth and are too shortsighted to understand that by standing with the oppressor they are opening the door for their gains to be lost, unless they are legacy. Don’t believe me, just watch.

You think Amy Coney Barrett would be where she is today if it weren’t for affirmative action? Regardless of the 70% white women who oppose affirmative action, as a group they have benefitted the most from it. And it’s not that I ever would have expected her to side with the dissenting opinion, but there’s a special kind of blindness and ignorance that she shares with Clarence Thomas. It’s the type of ignorance that allows a Black man in the United States to have the audacity to say that there was ever a “colorblind Constitution.” It’s a special form of self-hate that I hope to never understand.

In summary, it continues to irritate my soul that we live in a country where fear of Black people progressing will cause oppressed groups to cannibalize each other rather than attack and dismantle white supremacy.

For as long as I have sought out higher education, I have been in predominantly white spaces. I went to Brown University for undergrad, virtually attended the University of Minnesota for my MPH, and am now attending JHU for my doctorate. Do you think affirmative action has helped me get where I am? Absolutely. And am I mad about that? Absolutely not. I appreciate that if it were not for the policy, I might have been overlooked for someone with lesser grades, standardized test scores, extracurriculars, and overall story because of my race. I didn’t get a free pass into any of the schools I applied to and in fact in high school I was told that I was reaching too far for the schools I chose. I was told I wouldn’t get into the two Ivy Leagues I applied to and that I should have more safety schools in my list of 10 colleges. When I spoke with classmates parents, I was also dissuaded. In fact, one mom said to my face, “Brown, don’t you think that’s a reach?” She knew nothing about me, beyond the fact that I was a little Black girl applying to an Ivy her son could not dream of going to. For college, I got into every school I applied to except Harvard University. For my masters and doctoral applications, I got into every school for which I applied. Was it all because of affirmative action? No, but it helped. Without it, I could have worked my ass off to be a top applicant and been rejected by more than just one school in my tenure. I might not be where I am now being able to write about a doctoral program without affirmative action, and that’s why we’re mad and heartbroken. ☹️

Another impact this decision will have? The look and feel of the people we trust with our education, health, and wellbeing… all facets of health equity. The overall health and wellbeing of the Black population is going to be even more in danger as this decision falls out into society. We will have less Black professors, less Black doctors, less Black dentists, less Black pharmacists, etc. The sum = less Black faces in seas of whiteness.

BACK TO SCHOOL

What I was so excited to write about this month was that for the first time in my JHSPH experience, I have felt seen in a class in a way I have only dreamed about. This summer I’m taking three courses:

1. Mixed Methods for Research in Public Health

2. Social Justice: Policy, Practice, and Research

3. Teaching, Learning, and Leading

The class that felt like coming home? Social Justice: Policy, Practice, and Research. (I was reminded of my experiences in my Africana Studies courses that helped me get through four years of being othered.) What made this class special? The entire teaching team (including TA) were Black people. The two professors were Black women, who intentionally held space, sought feedback, and made everyone feel included regardless of location, voice, or background in the material. One of the professors even asked if I recently got a retie… y’all the way that spoke to my soul and made me feel seen, I can’t explain, but I can say it made me feel like I was valued, appreciated, and among family. 🥰 (A retie for those who don’t know is a regular loc maintenance appointment to tame some of the new growth.)

The majority of speakers brought in were from a minoritized population and the readings were from a variety of voices and backgrounds. The design of this class, was what I hoped for last year. To be seen, not only by the professors, but also in the work and external speakers. It’s something that shouldn’t be a dream, it should be a reality. But as we look to the downstream impacts of the SCOTUS decision, it is likely that this class experience will be a flash in the pan, and not the norm. And for that, I am so sorry to my future students. 😢

What Are You Doing For Fun?

I’m spending all the time I can with my friends. And because I’m a nerd, a lot of that time has been spent at the Blacksonian with friends who have been numerous times and friends who are going for the first time. Even though the material can be hard depending on which sections you visit, there’s something that feels at home every time I go to the Blacksonian. The very first time I went to the museum, I wrote, “From the bottom floor to the top, this museum showcases our history, culture, love, and amazing strength. I’ve never seen such a beautiful display of love and admiration. This museum is a love letter to #BlackMagic and I will read it over and over again.” Seven years later and I still feel the same way. So, here are some of my photos taken over the past couple of weekends. And if you’re ever in town and want to see the Blacksonian, hit me up. I always can get tickets and clearly love going.

Wait, What’s Next?

Are you listening to Health Equity Mondays? If the answer is no — why not?! 🤦🏾‍♀️ Last month, Omari and I discussed the impact of student loan repayment and the infamous Titan submarine. You can find our podcast by searching “Health Equity Mondays” on all podcast platforms. Not into podcasts? Don’t worry. You can watch us on YouTube!

If you’re into podcasts, or just want to support me, I’ve been featured in a couple of new podcast episodes over the past month:

1. A Dope Public Health Podcast - “We Got the Jazz ft. Jasmine Leonard, MPH”

2. Sisterhood of Limitless Living - “Taking Space and Making Time for Self-Care: Interview with Jasmine Leonard”

AND - because I’m not busy enough, I am a co-host of a brand new podcast, The Conscious Tokens (TCT). TCT is all about three “token” black friends navigating the Black experience personally and professionally in America. Join us as we continue breaking stereotypes and discuss all things impacting the culture from everyday life, entertainment, health, wealth, and more. If you’ve ever felt like the “token”, then this podcast is for you! You can find TCT on Apple & Spotify podcasts.

I’ll be back in your inboxes in August. If you miss me - you know how to get more of me.

Until next time, always remember to take up as much space as you need.