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The Concept of Race and Its Relevance to Medicine

The Concept of Race and Its Relevance to Medicine

By Deirdre Keane on February 7, 2021

I began to wonder how relevant race identification is in providing competent healthcare to patients as I started reading “A Short History of the Race Concept” by Michael Yudell. It’s a short, well-written chapter from Race and the Genetic Revolution that discusses the role science has placed in forming and redefining the idea of race in science through the 18^th to 20^th centuries. To summarize Yudell’s point, race is a socially-constructed concept without any biological meaning as evidenced by genomic sequencing, which was first discovered by Francis Collins and Craig Venter in 2000.

Now to translate into English: all humans’ DNA is 99.9% identical, meaning we all have the same genes. …

White Fragility

White Fragility

By Deirdre Keane on December 12, 2020

To continue The Oppy’s active discussion on racism and white privilege, I wanted to focus on the concept of “white fragility” in this issue, from the perspective of a white female, and how it slows meaningful discussions, prevents our understanding of POC’s (people of color) experiences with racism, and is detrimental in social progress towards equality.

White fragility, a term coined by Robin DiAngelo, is a state where even a minimum of racial stress becomes intolerable for a white person and therefore, triggers defensive reactions ranging from seemingly well-meaning to blatantly vicious behavior. Unfortunately, it is a common theme in our society, and it runs deep.…

White Apathy

White Apathy

By Deirdre Keane on November 15, 2020

November 7, 2020 was a day of change for the United States. A new administration that promotes equality, rather than discrimination, will take office on January 20, 2020. While this will hopefully lead to a move in a positive direction for equity in policies and the justice system, progress needs to occur in our society on a cultural and individual level. I have been reflecting on white privilege and its many facets. I started doing the 28-day challenge called Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad. The reflection process promotes people who identify as white to deliberate how they benefit from white privilege and harm POC with racist actions and thoughts.…

In the Fight: Community-Led Change in North Brooklyn

In the Fight: Community-Led Change in North Brooklyn

By Mattia Janigro on October 15, 2020

In the Fight North Brooklyn is a community activism group that began in 2019. Tobi and Chelsea, two of its founding members, joined the Oppy for a conversation on effective political engagement, protests in NYC, difficult conversations, and more. To learn more about In the Fight, check them out at https://linktr.ee/inthefightnbk or on social media @inthefightNBK.

Listen to the interview in its entirety below.

Mattia: Tell me about yourself!

Chelsea: Definitely, I can start. My name is Chelsea, obviously. I’ve been in New York City for about three years, currently located in Bushwick. I am originally from Cleveland, Ohio. I’ve been involved in politics in different ways for a while.…

OppyArts Spotlight: Suhayb Zarroug

OppyArts Spotlight: Suhayb Zarroug

By Conor Clark on September 20, 2020

This article was written using excerpts from a recorded interview. To hear the interview in its entirety, please listen to the audio below.

Suhayb Zarroug is the modern embodiment of a Renaissance man. He coupled his experiences in art dealing, events, design, and creative consulting with strong marketing fundamentals and relationships. His latest venture is Novo Press, a publishing company that engages readers and supporters throughout the drafting process in an effort to connect networks of disparate freelance artists in the current landscape.

This concept of purpose-driven publishing will be exhibited in Novo’s upcoming first edition featuring photography, poetry, and mixed media content focusing on personal encounters with climate change and “beautiful trash.”…

Introducing Novo Press & OppyArts Spotlight

Introducing Novo Press & OppyArts Spotlight

By Conor Clark on September 20, 2020

This is an interesting year to be a grad student. We’re reworking how we study, network, and collaborate. A sense of purpose is hard to come by- many feel they’re just going through the motions until they either get their degree, or this nonsense finally ends. Personally, I refuse to let my MBA experience be anything less than a biopic-worthy epic, which is why I was so excited to speak with Suhayb Zarroug about Novo Press and to introduce the Oppy’s new series aimed to connect Sternies with writers and artists to help create art and explore meaning and purpose. …

How to Eat Healthy During Zoom Calls When You Have No Time While Supporting a Black Owned Business

How to Eat Healthy During Zoom Calls When You Have No Time While Supporting a Black Owned Business

By Oppy Staff on September 18, 2020

By Kyu Kim

There are numerous ways to contribute to the Black Lives Matter movement, but sometimes it feels difficult to juggle the recommended actions with work and home responsibilities. No matter how much we do for the movement, it never feels like enough and making true progress seems dismal at times.

Instead of getting discouraged, though, why don’t we refuel ourselves with healthy and yummy food that also supports the black community? Your decreased enthusiasm might just be a symptom of low blood sugar! Besides, there are fabulous products created by black entrepreneurs which should be celebrated for their own merits.…

The Urgency of Redefining Sustainability to Include Racial Equality at Reformation

By Oppy Staff on June 28, 2020

By Christine Tan

By now you might have seen this meme circulating on Twitter and Instagram, comically poking fun at the hollowness of messages on behalf of brands claiming to support the Black community.

What has transpired since early June has been the “outing” of brands and CEOs that claim to support the Black community, but have failed to own up to their own shortcomings in anti-racist efforts within their own ranks. In other words, these companies are virtue signaling — showing support for a cause via a black Instagram tile without doing any internal work. Employees have been speaking up to decry not only a failure of diversity and inclusion programs, but toxic racist cultures and their leaderships’ attempts to subordinate Black talent at those companies. …

Learning from the LGBTQ Movement

Learning from the LGBTQ Movement

By Oppy Staff on June 20, 2020

By Bryan Huang

What worked? What did we learn? How can we apply these answers to the Black Lives Matter movement?

To my LGBTQ+ family:

As Pride month kicks off, I find myself reflecting on the journey of the LGBTQ+ movement set against the backdrop of current events — the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and the subsequent ongoing protests that have sprung up around the world. New York hosted World Pride last year (June 2019), marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots of 1969, the riots that started our movement.

To mark this momentous occasion, during the first half of 2019, social media was flooded with countless articles recounting the story of Stonewall.…

If McKinsey Truly Wants Racial Equity, It Must Start with Itself

If McKinsey Truly Wants Racial Equity, It Must Start with Itself

By Oppy Staff on June 20, 2020

By Kathleen Dillon

In recent weeks, inboxes and social media feeds have been flooded with corporate responses to the death of George Floyd. Management consulting giant McKinsey & Company has been part of this outpouring of support for the Black community. On June 1, the company released a statement regarding the death of George Floyd, emphasizing its commitment to racial equality. Then on June 12, McKinsey outlined ten concrete actions it will take to address issues of racial injustice. While these actions should certainly be lauded, the firm’s ongoing work in the prison industry remains problematic and stands in blunt opposition to its stated commitment to racial equity. …

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