11/11/2025
Almost every time I submit a paper that interrogates racism in medicine, the feedback sounds something like this:
“Too one-sided”
“Inflammatory and sensational”
“Overly emotional”
These aren’t just critiques — they’re reminders of how deeply our systems resist naming harm.
When you write about antiracism in healthcare, you’re often asked to soften, to neutralize, to make the truth more “palatable.”
But I’ve learned that the discomfort is part of the work.
Some of my papers have required a half dozen submissions to different journals and taken years, while others have stalled out completely (for now). In all honesty, I usually reach my limit at six journals turning them down...
💖But I keep writing because our field must move toward care rooted in trust, justice, and accountability rather than fear.
I’m deeply grateful to the editors, reviewers, and colleagues who did believe in this work and who pushed with care instead of defensiveness, who helped make sure these ideas found their way into publication. Thank you for seeing the purpose behind the pushback.
For every “too emotional,” there’s a community who knows that love is the most radical evidence we have.
✨Click the link in my bio to read a few of my most recent publications.
