Dear HU Colleagues,
This week’s digest was guest edited by members of the Boeckh Lab.
The upcoming Thanksgiving holiday has us thinking about stories — the ones we are told in our families, schools and the culture at large. Most of our modern-day Thanksgiving story is myth, obscuring the dark reality of European colonization of North America and the resulting devastation of Indigenous populations. There are also many largely unheard stories about how colonization and the institution of chattel slavery brought enslaved Africans and Indigenous peoples into conflict, collaboration and intermarriage.
During this time of contemplation and gratitude, we encourage you to critically evaluate the stories you know and actively seek out the stories you have not heard. Whose voices have been elevated through time, and whose have been silenced or ignored? How have you benefitted or been disadvantaged by those narratives based on your identity? The work of antiracism requires us to mindfully engage in these uncomfortable realities and consider the active choices we make in telling and listening to the stories of those around us.
Watch historian Dr. Tyra Miles describe the connected history of African Americans and Native Americans.
Listen to Wampanoeg educators consider the question: ThanksTaking or ThanksGiving? on the All My Relations podcast. The Wampanoeg were the first peoples to encounter European colonizers, and their communities were subsequently decimated by disease, conflict and enslavement. They name specific actions we can take to connect with and show respect for Indigenous communities and their histories, including a shout-out to Real Rent Duwamish.
Read about how Native Americans were part of the Underground Railroad, and yet also slaveholders.
In the spirit of thankfulness, here are some things we are grateful for in our lab, where we seek to understand how the immune response to viruses can help prevent and combat viral infection.
Black Immunologists: This week is #BlackinImmunoWeek on Twitter, and there is an amazing array of programming going on. If you missed something, you can still catch up on the Black In Immuno Youtube channel.
Black Doctors Part 1: Dr. Dale Okorodudu is a pulmonary & critical care physician, a good friend of Boeckh Lab’s Dr. Danny Zamora, and founder of Black Men in White Coats. Dr. Okorodudu formed the organization in response to a 2013 Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) report pointing out the already low number of black men applicants to medical school was decreasing. The organization aims to inspire black men to pursue a career in medicine through mentoring and awareness by providing resources including videos and personal stories of triumph and overcoming adversity. There are also podcasts and mentoring opportunities for different stages of education.
Black Doctors Part 2: Congratulations to UW Assistant Professor Dr. Kemi Doll, past HU seminar speaker, academic career coach and co-founder of the Endometrial Cancer Action Network for African-Americans (ECANA) for receiving a landmark R01 to fund a randomized clinical trial aimed at improving outcomes for African-American women living with endometrial cancer. Consider donating to support the work of ECANA.
Black Vaccinologist Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett of the NIH was instrumental in the development of the highly efficacious Moderna mRNA COVID vaccine. You can follow her on Twitter @kizzyPhD and see her describe the vaccine in the recent National Medicine Association’s COVID-19 Town Hall “Clinical Vaccine Trials and the Black Community — Facts and Fallacies”.
In closing this Thanksgiving edition of the Digest, we want to acknowledge that we live and work on the traditional territory of the Duwamish, Tulalip, Muckleshoot, and Suquamish tribal nations. Colonialism is an ongoing process and we are mindful of our participation. We invite you to honor these tribes and their ongoing stewardship of the land by supporting the Fred Hutch OCOE PPE drive to help local Indigenous communities fight the disproportionate effects of COVID-19, and by taking the time to learn about their stories at the links above.
In solidarity,
Hutch United
Hutch United was founded by Fred Hutch graduate students and postdocs in 2013 with the mission of fostering a supportive and diverse community of scientists. We promote equity and inclusion through community building events, inclusivity training, and by providing access to resources and mentorship. It is up to all of us to create an inclusive scientific community. As such, we welcome all underrepresented groups (all races/ethnicities, genders, ages, national origins, physical abilities, and sexual orientations; as well as veterans, those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, etc) and, of course, allies and advocates.
