Novant Health Mosaic: Recent Episodes
Novant Health Mosaic
00:05
Welcome to Mosaic, your Novant Health podcast for diversity, inclusion and equity. You'll learn more about the mosaic of similarities and differences that make us stronger, and how health equity benefits us all. Piece by piece. We're telling the stories of the beautiful mosaic of Novant Health.
00:25
Hello again, this is Becky Knight coordinator of Novant Health 14 business resource groups. Business resource groups, or BRG's, are an important part of the Novant Health diversity inclusion and equity strategy. A BRG is a voluntary group of team members organized around an aspect of common identity, such as age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or veteran status. The groups work together to support each other our business in diversity and inclusion strategies and constituency needs. One of the themes over the past year has been for our BRG's to host webinars to highlight holidays and observances that have special meaning to them. These webinars are an accessible way for our team members to share about their traditions, beliefs and culture. And it lets us get to know each other better, and to be able to better understand and anticipate the needs of our patients and communities. And this episode of mosaic, we'll hear from several Novant Health BRG members, sharing about Dia de los Muertos. samhain, Transgender Day of Remembrance, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.
01:37
First we have David Avalos, sharing about Dia de los Muertos.
01:43
Dia De Los Muertos basically is a custom, it's a custom that is derived from an old ancient Aztec custom. And then there has been some influence from the Catholic Church. So Dia De Los Muertos is translated into Day of the Dead here in the United States. Death is something that's very grim and solemn and sad. And that is not the way they view death in Mexican culture. So day of the dead is really a celebration. So it's a celebration of life, it's to honor your ancestors that have moved on, or that have passed away. So we're here in the States people are kind of solemn and sad, and tend to wear dark clothes and things of that nature. In Mexican culture, it's very loud and vibrant and colorful. So there's, there's a lot of beauty involved with the celebration of this Day of the Dead, you're going to hear later on about Samhain and how on that day, there's this veil that's between our world and the spirit world. And it is believed that the veil is thin during this time. So it allows spirits to enter into our world. And that's not a scary thing in Spanish culture. That's something where these are your ancestors. This is your family. So you want to welcome them. So that's why they have these altars with offerings and they have celebrations and parties and they usually cook food and the food that they cook is usually what that relative's favorite meal was. So um, Day of the Dead you all will probably know it as All Saints Day or All Souls Day. So we celebrate it on November first and November second. So November 1 is technically believed that's when the children who have passed come back to visit and celebrate. They call them on angelitos, which means little angels. And then on the following day, November 2, that's when the adults turn up for the festivities. They don't call them the angels, they call them the deceased, they call them difuntos. Family members usually will prepare for several weeks in advance for this summer celebration, creating their offerings and decorating their altars and things of that nature.
04:08
Next, Willette Balsamo speaks about Samhain.
04:12
You know it, most people know it, as Halloween. Here are some of the other names, there are many. All Hallows Eve, Samhain, it's hard to pronounce. A lot of the a lot of things come from Celtic, or Irish, if you will, Scotland, The Isles the British Isles. A lot of it came from them. Also Egypt. There's many many histories of where Wiccans, more modern version of witchcraft. But it was also practice in China. So everybody's got their own little twist on this. So the pronunciation is pronounced “sow win” like s-o-w like a Mama Pig, or “sow ween.” The meaning of that. There's a couple of beliefs that it means summer's end, while others find that called fire of peace, and a lot of that has to do with the bonfires and the harvest, it’s also called third harvest, spirit night, hollow mass, Mischief Night, probably heard that, ancestor night and more. And it's also during this time that we open our hearts and our bodies to death. We honor those that have died whenever it's usually those this year, but it doesn't matter you can honor whomever you wish. We acknowledge sorrow and loss. We believe in an afterlife. We also believe in rebirth or reincarnation.
05:58
Our coexist and pride BRGs co hosted a webinar for Transgender Day of Remembrance. Here is Nick Stewart.
06:06
Began over 20 years ago, Transgender Day of Remembrance is observed to focus on the persistent struggles, transgender people face in their everyday lives, and how others can share their love, support and hope. Today, we especially remember those who in the past year, have lost their lives as a result of transphobia and anti transgender violence. We come together to acknowledge that all people of all identities are welcome in our organization, in our facilities, and in our communities. We recognize today that some face violence and hatred simply for being who they are. We gather against acts of exclusion, anger and hate. And we respond with remembrance, hope, and love. We come together from different backgrounds, origins, groups and disciplines to intentionally remember that we are one humanity, and that all people are created beautifully. We stand together for those who have died for their families, and for those among us who identify as transgender, that they might know that they are not alone, that we stand with them, and that they are loved.
07:20
Now we'll learn about Hanukkah from Marcia Lampert.
Hanukkah is a holiday that's really mostly based on folklore. It's not what we would consider a holy day. Our holy days are around the Jewish New Year Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, well, and Passover as well. So this is really a holiday that celebrates a bright message and a theme and allows us to celebrate freedom. The word Hanukkah means rededication. And that was the story in 2000 BC that a group of people destroyed the temple. And when they destroyed the temple, the eternal flame, there was not enough oil for the flame to continue more than one day. But miraculously, it went on for eight days. We go by like Muslim, we go by the lunar calendar, so it's never the same day every year, but it usually ends up in December. For eight nights, we light the candles and we say a prayer. And we also very much in the theme of everything we do we always eat. So we are always eating during holidays, foods that symbolize something. But in Hanukkah, because of the oil, the oil from the temple that lasted for eight days. The foods that we generally eat our homemade potato pancakes, you know, in oil, and jelly doughnuts made an oil, very healthy. So a lot of gathering singing songs. Again, making it fun. But keeping the same of this light that lasted for eight days, how we were able to take back the temple and renew our faith.
Finally, you Vaughn Dixon shares about Kwanzaa.
09:21
Beginning December 26, and lasting for seven days. Kwanzaa is a celebration of community, family and culture, established as a means to help African Americans reconnect with their African roots and heritage. And there are three official Kwanzaa colors. Black, red and green. There are seven candles, one Black Candle, three red candles, and three green candles. Each candle represents one of the seven principles guiding Kwanzaa they are placed in a mission Masaba in a specific order, each candle is lit on a specific day of Kwanzaa of the seven day celebration. The Black Candle the principal represents you Mojo, which means the concept of unity is a focus on the unity of family, community, nation and race. This candle is always lit first on the opening day of Kwanzaa of which again is the 26th of December, day two is collegia Gulia, which is self determination is the second principle. It represents defining, naming, creating, and speaking for oneself. This is the second candle lit on day three, which is you Jama. This is the third principle and is defined as collective work and responsibility. This encompasses building and maintaining the community by working together, taking on each other's problems and solving them together. This is the third candle. The fourth candle is the principle of cooperative economics, you Jama. This encompasses building and maintaining individually owned stores, shops, and other businesses. This goal is to profit from these endeavors as a community so we're talking about socio economics and the community. This is the fourth candle lit.
11:34
There are three green candles, each representing a specific principle. These candles are placed on the right of the Black Candle, and the last ones that are lit on day five, which is Nia Nia. This is the principle of purpose and takes on the collective vocation of building the community and developing it as a way to restore African Americans and pan Americans to their traditional greatness. This is the fifth candle that is lit on day six, which is Khumba KUUM. Ba this candle celebrates the principle of creativity. The goal of this principle is to do everything possible to make a difference and leave the community in better condition than what was inherited. This is the sixth candle that is lit. And finally on day seven, you Imani? I am a ni Imani. This is the crucible of faith. It challenges people to believe in each other and honor their struggle as righteous and that they'll be victorious. This is the last candle to be lit. All seven candles are lit on this particular day.
12:59
Thanks for listening to mosaic your podcasts for diversity, inclusion and equity and Novant Health. Stay tuned for our next exciting episode.
Ashleigh Hargrave 00:05
Welcome to mosaic, your Novant Health podcast for diversity, inclusion and equity. You'll learn more about the mosaic of similarities and differences that make us stronger, and how health equity benefits us all. Piece by piece, we're telling the stories of the beautiful mosaic of Novant Health.
Becky Knight 00:51
Hello again, this is Becky Knight. On this episode we'll be sharing excerpts from the webinar our Native American BRG presented on Indigenous People’s Day 2021. The BRGs mission is to educate, collaborate and communicate with people throughout Novant Health and surrounding communities, with a focus on understanding and improving the health of Native Americans, as well as bridging gaps of misconceptions and challenges among the Native American population. Rebecca Souza is the leader of this BRG, and her voice is the one you'll hear on this episode. We begin with a history lesson.
Rebecca Souza 01:31
Before Columbus, there already were people here in America, all throughout the Americas, north and south. We know they were here at least 17,000 years ago, but actually, they probably were here as far back as you know, more than 40,000 years ago. They migrated to this continent from Asia via the Bering Land Bridge, which connects Mongolia to what is now Alaska. These early people were nomadic and they were hunter gatherers. They didn't live in one place, they moved around. Here in North Carolina and Wilson County we know that around 8000 BC, they started to develop more permanent sites where they would come in seasonally like for hunting. And then when winter came they might move to another site. And between 212 100 BC they started to develop more permanent locations. East of the Mississippi. This is mostly true for all tribes. Villages started to crop up and people might move from village to village depending on the season. But they were more permanent. And they were like still relied heavily on hunting, hunting, wild game and fishing and also gathering but they had started to develop agriculture. They were developing pottery and cultural traditions like mound building. And mound building is one of the only permanent types of structures that we have of Native American people in the past. Since most of what they use wood, animal hides, mud dobbing, that stuff doesn't last after people stop using it but the mounds, the mounds did last. And east of the Mississippi and all along the Mississippi River. There was many there were many mounds built and there are some actually still standing here in North Carolina in the town of Town Creek. You can go it is in a state park and you can go visit there. I'm actually going to visit there this month. Hopefully. The baseline of Native American agriculture was corn, squash, and beans. And those all start to be traded all around the continent and grown even here in North Carolina. It's important to recognize and appreciate that these people did create complex cultures and traditions.
Becky Knight 03:59
So how did Columbus State come to be recognized in the United States?
Rebecca Souza 04:04
Columbus Day was first recognized in 1892 by Italian Americans to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the voyage. Then in 1937, it was sort of established unofficially as the second Monday in October and then many decades later, it was set up as a national federal holiday. Because throughout the 19th and early 20th century, Roman Catholic Italian Americans were members of a stigmatized ethnic and religious group, as were many Southern Europeans and Eastern Europeans. They campaigned for Columbus Day in order to place Catholic Italians into American history where they weren't really allowed to be before. Christopher Columbus sailed under the Spanish flag, but he actually was Italian. You have to you would have to understand that white was not a fixed term throughout much of the history of America. And many Southern Europeans and Eastern Europeans were not considered white, by the dominant group of the time, they were all Northern Europeans, English, Scottish, German, French, you know that that's the background of the people that were considered white and so it changed. And at this time, Italian Americans did have a problem with discrimination and prejudice in this country. So they were trying to celebrate a famous Italian American history.
Becky Knight 05:37
That was a big aha moment for me. Learning that Columbus Day began as a way for one marginalized group to elevate their standing in America. But honoring their own struggle and resilience came at the cost of honoring someone who not only never stepped foot on American soil, he was instead in the Caribbean and Central and South America, but who directly and indirectly led to the enslavement and slaughter of millions of indigenous people.
Rebecca Souza 06:01
Part of the agreement of his voyages with the Spanish king and queen was that he would send gold and slaves to Spain. And he did. He didn't find a lot of gold, but he sent a lot of slaves. There's an estimated 5 million died within the first years of Columbus landing on one of the Caribbean islands. And that began the subjugation of the native people, the Americas that has continued for five centuries and so in many ways continues today. Millions have died from the disease or violence committed by European colonizers, and entire tribes and cultures were wiped out completely. As you can see, for many Native Americans, recognizing Columbus with this holiday, relives the trauma of violence and loss associated with European colonization of the American continent. They have continued to suffer great loss. Even today, Indian reservations are some of the poorest counties in the country. And treaties have been broken as late as the last 40 years, land has continued to be stolen for treaties. And even their children are being stolen still. When there are issues that require a child to be removed from the home of a native person. In many parts of this country, they will be put into the foster care system and then can be adopted out to white parents away from their native families. So they have continued to lose their cultural heritage.
Becky Knight 07:38
So now that we've learned more about the origins of Columbus Day, and the impact of colonization on indigenous people, what's the history on Indigenous People’s Day? Let's hear again from Rebecca Souza.
Rebecca Souza 07:51
The first day of this type was celebrated in Berkeley, California in 1992. In recognition of the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus voyage, it was actually a counter to Columbus Day, they were recognizing the inherent problems with recognizing Columbus. In 1994, the United Nations declared an international day of the world's indigenous people. So that became the first holiday to recognize indigenous people. And let me back up a little bit and talk about the word indigenous. Some people believe that indigenous or Aboriginal are derogatory terms, synonymous with savage or barbaric, and that's not what it means at all. According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, indigenous means relating to the earliest known inhabitants of a land, especially if that place was colonized by the now dominant group. So it's just recognizing that these people were here first.
Becky Knight 08:51
So the word indigenous acknowledges that they were here first, is that what the day is meant to do?
Rebecca Souza 08:58
Well, it celebrates the history and contributions of Native Americans, as well as other indigenous people throughout the world. And it calls attention to the need to put diversity, inclusion and equity into history. To make sure our histories are inclusive of the facts, and all peoples. It reclaims the sense of culture and heritage for Native Americans and refutes the erasure of indigenous people. By recognizing a colonizer you have erased all the people that were there first. And we found this quote from a native person and it is “We are here, we are resilient. Our stories, people and land are important and worth preserving.” And that is truly what they what they feel, and what we feel is that this is something that needs to be preserved.
Becky Knight 09:53
In conclusion, Rebecca shared ways we can support Native American stories, people and land.
Rebecca Souza 09:59
You can shop native owned businesses. You can attend Native American cultural events to powwows.com, where you can find pow-wows throughout the country, including locally or you can go to any of the local tribes’ websites if they have one, and they usually have a listing of any events they have going on. Research Native Americans of the past, educate yourself on pre contact and the history of the United States and native people. There's a lot we were not taught in school. There's a whole lot we were not taught in school. Educate yourself on the current trends and policies and initiatives that are important to Native American groups, such as the pipeline protests, water conservation, domestic violence, the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. These are all ongoing issues and you can find out a lot of information about them.
Becky Knight 10:56
What I'm not able to include in this episode is the robust discussion that took place following the full length presentation. We all learned so much and are indebted to Rebecca and the Native American BRG for correcting our misconceptions, and inspiring us to better honor the contributions of America's indigenous people.
Ashleigh Hargrave 11:18
Thanks for listening to mosaic, your podcast for diversity, inclusion and equity and Novant Health. Stay tuned for our next exciting episode.