Sitting in executive lunch room of Health & Human Services (HHS) bantering with some CDC, NIH, FDA officials identified as such (Azar had just left); I described how much good POTUS Trump had been for
minorities, African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans etc. with huge plans to lift opportunities in 2nd term; they said public health agencies don't 'see' blacks, minorities, they are 'unimportant'
I told them Trump does and did ‘see’ minorities and African Americans, that he was improving lives and choices and chances for all Americans and they again said para ‘they are unimportant, they don’t really exist to the scheme of things and in some sense not that we approve of that, but its just the way it is’. Needless to say they shocked me. Each time. I could not believe that officials in the government would think this way, in health agencies.
Moreover, when we look at the situation in the US, it is white men, white males are devastating attack in the society. A white male is at the bottom of the ladder, Will get nothing from the society or government. Nothing. Disparaged. A white, alpha, conservative, heterosexual, nation, border loving, flag loving male is like garbage in the society, scorned, and this is devastating. Good people are being attacked. Destroyed. Like Trump, he was a goner before he started.
Their candor and invectives and venom to anyone not like them. Two separated persons told me para ‘we heard you lots of times in teleconferences yet did not think someone like you would be that smart and know all that’. I never quite understood what they meant but it made me uncomfortable and I kind of knew.
They ‘tolerated’ me because I was this technically sound, heavily worked immigrant with the thick accent who they would come ask me to explain COVID and sundry issues to them and science and aspects around any reports or studies re COVID or in fact, anything. I realized they just loved asking me questions. Remember, this was when COVID was at peak.
Let me explain it this way, racism is alive big time in the public health agencies of America e.g. CDC, NIH, FDA etc. As to staff, how their internal staff are treated and I saw. But I too mean how those top folk in those agencies view minorities in America. Not once did they use the pulpit e.g. CDC, NIH etc. during COVID to PSA to minorities the messages that would have cut risk and saved countless lives.
Blacks, minorities are not regarded in the society, and an after thought as per these agency officials. Surprised me for I have found Americans to be among the least racist people relative to even Canada or European nations. Some of the best most open accommodating helpful people I met and know are in America. Yet these agency people surprised me. Shocked in a way but then again, CDC employees had to file a law suit stemming from racist and discriminatory polices at CDC. I know, I was there when it went out. It shook D.C.
‘Unimportant’ as I was told by agency officials. And these people were serious, stone cold. Made me realize they operate in a different world in the bureaucracy and that is why I went after them and hammered them. Still am hammering them. They do not represent America. They hated me I was told and shown, and I hated them. They took a public health crisis and turned it into a political one for their gain. Their hatred for Trump was so real, sitting there you could near see spit dripping from their mouths when I spoke in praise of Trump and I loved it. They let me know how much they hated him. On the inside. Problem is, even those who you think are Republican and appointees worked against him.
Washington is and was a real cesspool of filth, maggots in suits. Pumps, pearls, and ties and black shoes with laces. You got to be there to see and experience. Few are Ron Johnson. Few. Both houses. It’s a farce, a uni-party of leaches on the tax payer purse. Pure sucking leeches on the poor hard working tax payer. Enriching themselves. The American people, legal law abiding people, is the only group not at the feeding trough.
You touched on something that impressed me most about Trump. He genuinely cared about "little people." Black or white or whatever, even the least of us was still a person to him. And the least of us responded by voting for him. Our audacity was rewarded by having our votes cancelled by the power elite who knew that we, the great unwashed masses, had no business deciding policy. But not Trump. Trump knew what made America great (us!) and acted accordingly. That I will believe no matter how tarnished his reputation may become in other areas.
Dr. Alexander, we love you. Thank you so much for all you do. You are light in a very dark reality.