What can the pandemic teach us about how people respond to adversity?
The Biggest Psychological Experiment in History is Running Now
A Hazardous Moment for Black Health
The coronavirus pandemic and the videotaped killings of black men threaten to harm the health of African Americans nationwide.
Our Children Are Watching
Our Children Are Watching
As this painful week comes to an end, I am left thinking about the children. How are they internalizing what they see on TV? How do we answer their questions?
This week of pain comes at a time already fraught with tension, compounding the destructive force of COVID-19 and the resulting financial crisis that is hitting our most vulnerable and marginalized communities the hardest.
Our collective children are growing up and learning about their world, now with disturbing events unfolding in every direction. I wonder how we explain these times to our children. What will they take away from this point in time? I listened to George Floyd’s second grade teacher remember him as a pleasure to have in class, a quiet boy who liked to sing and wanted to be a Supreme Court justice. I think of all the children at that age, lives innately full of hope, positivity and wonder.
I have also listened to our staff describe painful and anguished conversations they are forced to have with their children. Some of you are having “the talk”, not about the birds and the bees, but rather preparing your children for racism. I am listening to parents soberly explain how the reality of racism affects their own hopes and dreams for their children and what will be required of them as they grow up.
I can’t imagine looking into the eyes of any child, preparing them for hatred. Yet a large portion of our society must explain to their children the limitations they will face.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all be proud of the world into which we have brought our children? It should be a place where they could all feel safe to pursue limitless possibilities, one where there is no need for “talk” to warn that their road will be different, harder and even dangerous.
We must stand in solidarity with those demanding an end to systemic racism and violence. We must do better. We owe our children a better world.
We cannot allow this heartbreaking reality to continue.
Our children are watching.
Workers with Disabilities Essential in the Pandemic
At a time when gratitude is owed to so many for keeping our communities safe and healthy, we need to count among that group individuals with disabilities who are serving as essential workers of Governor Cuomo’s New York on PAUSE emergency plan.
People with Disabilities Fear Pandemic Will Worsen Medical Biases
The belief among people with disabilities that they will get lesser treatment is based on something even more concrete — their own harsh experiences in the medical system before the pandemic.
Coronavirus Leaves Foster Children with Nowhere to Go
The foster care system, built on frequent movements of children from one home to another and regular in-person supervision, has been especially wracked with confusion and dread by the coronavirus crisis.
Radically Adapting to the New World
Faced with unprecedented conditions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, organizations are rapidly adapting to serve the greatest number of people in need, now.
Lead Your Team Into a Post-Pandemic World
Hubert Joly, Executive Chairman and former CEO of Best Buy, writes for Harvard Business Review on how companies approach each phase of the COVID-19 pandemic will matter for their employees.
Reflections on Memorial Day
Reflections on Memorial Day
Good Morning. On this Memorial Day I want to share my blog with Retired US Army Colonel David W. Sutherland.
This weekend marks Memorial Day, a sacred day of recognition in the United States.
I, like the rest of the team at Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services, will spend the weekend remembering, honoring, and mourning the United States military members who died while serving in the Armed Forces – some of whom I served with over the course of my 29-year career.
One of these people was the husband of Latrese Dixon. In her book, From Tragedy to Triumph: The Life of a Widow, Latrese reflects on her life leading up to, and journey following, her husband’s death in 2007 during combat operations in Iraq. While her book is a stirring read for Memorial Day, there are many passages that offer lessons and insights relevant throughout the year.
Today I want to share a few pieces of quiet wisdom from this book with you – and what passes through my mind as I read them.
“He was a soldier and he answered the call of duty.”
The members of our Armed Forces put their lives on the line for their country, knowing that it is a dangerous business that could separate them permanently from their families. Yet a service member follows through and perseveres, even amidst difficult times and challenges. It’s called “character,” and it’s explained best not by definition, but by actions such as selflessly putting country before life.
“He died doing what he loved most – protecting his country, protecting his family. Both were inextricably linked.”
For me, the key words here are “inextricably linked.” Those who serve do so both for, and on behalf of, their families, neighbors, and communities. Equally important are the “comrades” to their left and right in times of crisis. Serving our country is a global duty, but it starts with families. You will find courage, love, duty, and sacrifice a commonality among everyone who has served.
“Losing a loved one is hard: healing is harder, but know that their memories continue to live on.”
The worst thing we can do is to forget. We can all use the opportunity created by Memorial Day to remember all those who died while serving, be it in combat, during training exercises, or through accidents and non-combat related deaths. One of the most important deaths for me to remember is death by suicide while on active duty. Ultimately, though, this painful reflection is necessary as it truly is the purpose of Memorial Day.
“The most difficult and hardest thing to do was figure out how to tell the children that their father would not be coming home.”
The narratives of those who have fallen live on through their families. These families are given the honorific “Gold Star” to designate that they’ve had a loved one lose his/her life in service to the nation. If you know a Gold Star family, reach out to check on them this weekend and provide encouragement. If you meet a Gold Star family member in the future, ask them to share their story, then take the time to listen.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has altered our ability to honor the fallen with parades or memorial services, it does provide an opportunity for us to create our own personal remembrances. Consider the following activities:
• Plant a remembrance tree or flowers with your family.
• Research the achievements of one of our fallen from previous wars and ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Livestream virtual events from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and at Arlington National Cemetery.
This Memorial Day weekend, I hope that you take a moment to personally reflect on the achievements and courage of our U.S. service members who died while serving in the Armed Forces.
We at Dixon Center will always remember, and they will never be forgotten.
The Balcony
The Balcony
This week I am going to veer from my usual blog topics, to talk about balconies … and how they have become a source of inspiration and hope for people around the world.
In Italy you can hear music coming from balconies from town to town—”a nationwide concert to lift our spirits” shared one Italian. People were invited to join in, playing musical instruments –or if that is all they had—using pots and pans to join in on the melody. This is also true in France, where a French opera singer sang the French National Anthem from his balcony amid cheers and tears. There was an amazing evening where applause and cheers were heard when the French organized a countrywide balcony tribute to their health care workers. In Spain you can hear the notes of “My Heart Will Go On” … played on a piano on his balcony by a gifted Spanish musician and the beauty of the huge crowd who joined in.
And in New York, if you listen closely, you can hear the cheers of New Yorkers, from balcony to stoop, honoring health care workers and first responders, and the music from our Broadway musicians who will not be silenced even by COVID-19. And there are photos all over social media showing New Yorkers having balcony picnics and making elegant champagne toasts with their neighbors.
The balcony is a phenomenon within a phenomenon.
I found myself thinking about the many ways balconies have been used over time to communicate messages of good like those of the Pope for individuals of the Catholic faith on Easter morning, or for those romantics who can recite verbatim the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet. Balconies certainly have been used to spread messages of evil, divisiveness and genocide, such as in the era of Mussolini and Hitler.
What is striking about the balcony scenes of today is the sense of optimism that is generated from these simple moments of sharing. The message that we really are in this together—one global community. These moments remind us of the courage and resilience of the human spirit. They remind us that we always do seem to get back up—one way or another. They remind us how deeply we are connected and how important this connection is to our health and well-being.
There have been moments of extraordinary sorrow since the pandemic struck. And there have been moments of extraordinary kindness. Both will remain with us for a very long time. Both need to be acknowledged.
I have been deeply honored by the many people who read my blogs and who write to me sharing their perspectives on the current reality.
Tonight I may cheer about the importance of this connection from my window.