I've been thinking about what it means to me to be an ally with people of color when fighting racism, and in early April, I had a chance to witness what this really means by the example of Nancy Fugate Woods, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean and Professor at the University of Washington's School of Nursing.
Dr. Woods delivered the keynote address at the 59th annual scholarship luncheon of the Mary Mahoney Professional Nurses' Organization. I am aware of this organization through my work, and until I visited the web site, I thought of it as a club or group for African American nurses, without realizing the impetus for the organization's founding -- racism.
I shouldn't be have been surprised.  Many institutions of African American communities were founded because of racism and segregation. To the eyes of some white people, African American sororities, fraternities, churches, schools and other groups may seem like some sort of exclusive club which they are being excluded from. (I am not sure that I've ever thought of them this way, but I know this way of thinking is out there.) If you look at the history of these institutions (you, meaning, fellow white people, as many people of color are all too aware of the history), in many cases, they were founded to meet the needs of fellowship and support in the face of exclusion and hatered. In the case of the Mary Mahoney Professional Nurses' Organization, this group was founded to support African American nurses in Seattle when they were deprived of entry to schools and workplaces, such as the University of Washington, and Harborview Hospital. According to the MMPNO web site, in 1941, "Negro registered nurses couldn't work at any hospital in Seattle."
That day in April, over 10 African American men and women, and men and women of African descent, were honored with scholarships to pursue their careers in nursing at a time when nursing shortages exist throughout the U.S.
So what does this have to do with Dr. Woods, a white woman?
When she read Dr. Lois Price Spratlen's book, African American Registered Nurses in Seattle, she issued an apology on behalf of the University of Washington.
Apology alone is nothing*, but Dr. Woods made an important step, and set an example for me and many others.

*There is much that could be said about the University of Washington's attempts to make certain that minority students enter the University and graduate, and the roadblocks to doing so are numerous. I'm relatively new to the State of Washington, which has much to atone for in its racist doings (as does the U.S. as a whole, as well as my home state of California).

Note: I'm not going to have comments activated for this post as I'm going to be away from my computer for a while, and I don't want to have unmoderated comments showing up on this. I know there may be others who would respectfully disagree with me on this issue, but in case there are people who won't be respectful, I'm not opening up comments right now.

There's a whole lot going on in my life at the moment. Great things, mostly. Work is busy, little one is fascinating, funny, obstinant, articulate, observant, imaginative and somewhat unpredictable. I feel like Mr. Rounded and I are on parallel paths but rarely get a chance to connect, other than sharing a small secret laugh when our child does or says something unintentionally funny.

It's finally warming up around here, and the rain is actually feeling nice when it's falling in warmer air.

And now that Passover is over, I can try to get back to eating the way that feels best for me. Whatever that is.

I've been feeling kind of crappy lately, and I think that how and how much I'm eating has something to do with it. And that I haven't had as much time for exercise, that also drives me crazy. It's not a good combination, aside from the fact that my weight is up a little.

My mind has been wandering around to a few different options, some of which I've ruled out altogether, and others which I think may have merit.

One of the better thoughts I've had pertains to tracking down a fat-friendly registered dietitian. I actually have a friend with a referral, if I want it. So then I think, if I'm going to see a dietitan, I'm going to need to keep a food diary. Which sounds just about as appealing as going on a diet, or marching in the rain with a 50-pound pack. But maybe I can handle it. Maybe it's worth a try...

If I do see an RD, it will be on the following terms:
1) My goal is not to lose weight
2) I want to get back to eating in response to my body's own cues (rather than pushing past hunger sometimes and going for hours on end without drinking or eating anything because I'm immersed in work)
3) If I do lose a little weight, I could live with that
4) I'm not interested in eating anything just because it's "good for me," or cutting anything out just because it's "bad for me."
5) Maybe there's a creative way for me to fit in some more exercise without having to spend more time away from my little one.

For me, success would be feeling a bit more comfortable in my own skin, listening to my own body better about how much it needs of food, beverage, sleep and movement.

Oh, and I thought this post at Fatgrrl was fascinating.
And this one, at The F-Word.org.
And I feel like I really identify with the not-fat writer to Aunt Fattie over at Shapely Prose.
And, there's just been so much good stuff to read and comment on but I haven't had time, but I'm so enjoying the addition of Hyde and Seek to the blogroll.

So, how have you been?