#1 Original Email

Subject: A Letter From the xxxxxxx XXXXXXX XXXXX Committee Regarding xxxxxxx Symposium 2024.

We, as the leadership of xxxxx Xxxxxx-Xxxxxxxx Eating Disorders Professionals/Xxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxx xx Xxxxx Committees understand that many of you may have concerns about our upcoming spring 2024 Symposium in Orlando and the travel advisory issued by the NAACP for the State of Florida. We respect and understand those of you who opt to not participate in this current climate. But know that we also see this as an opportunity to show up, stand up, and be heard.

As a leadership team that has led by example - being fully engaged - in social justice and activism, we believe there is no more important time than right now to explicitly center the stories and narratives of Black and Brown lives, and the BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. We wholeheartedly believe that now is the time for us to show up as a professional collective. Our goal is to continue an inclusive dialogue that will develop more culturally competent professionals who can treat all of our clients effectively and with humility.

As clinicians of color from around the United States, who treat eating disorders in persons of color and having intersectional identities, we know firsthand of the far-reaching trauma that impacts their daily lives, careers, relationships and self-worth due to systemic racism and related discrimination in the US. As we look back at the various fights for justice in American history, we remember and endeavor to follow in the footsteps of all those who showed up, against all odds, to help improve the lives of others.

If you are still thinking about submitting a proposal, we ask you to stand up against inequities by focusing on the impact of systemic racism, barriers to healthcare, the importance of a culturally competent workforce, and any of the myriad other issues that affect the lives of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ persons.

Please join us as we deliver presentations by highly respected and credentialled members of Xxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxx xx Xxxxx Committees, along with our other allies from around the country and the world, as we work to provide an antidote to hate and ignorance in service of our clients and peers.

If you decide on not attending or submitting a proposal, please consider joining the xxxxx's Abstract Review Committee.

#2 Kip's Response

To whom it may concern:

With no disrespect intended, I was stunned to receive this email. As a professional serving a wide variety of clientele (age, race, gender), I do not understand the intent behind this email.

Florida is a safe and wonderful place for all people. It is very diverse. By 'apologizing' for something that does not exist you are part of the problem, aiding and abetting mental health issues and mental illness. This is the kind of thing that keeps these 'marginalized' populations continuing to think they are marginalized rather than positioning themselves with beliefs that foster growth, empowerment, and personal responsibility.

This kind of reverse racism and systemic oppressive talk generates handicapping beliefs. This is blaming the system for people's problems, external vs internal.

If you really thought Florida was not safe, then you would not have your conference there. Stop lying to people and especially professionals who are called to be objective. This is not objective safe language nor position. You are called to 'do no harm' as an organization in the mental health field. This is doing harm and creates division.

Do better.

-Anne "Kip" Rodgers

#3 Here is Their Response

Hi Anne,

Thank you for your email. I appreciate your respectful and genuine input. It is a time in our country that requires understanding and individuals doing the right thing to re-unite us. It is a time of unnecessary hostility that only serves to deepen the divide between all of us as citizens. Sometimes our personal life experience differs from those of others. xxxxx has a very diverse membership brought together by our individual and united desire to win the battle against eating disorders.

The XXXXX/XXXXX Committee has been a very active and effective committee in xxxxx’s diversity initiative. The one thing we all know is that eating disorders have no boundaries—race, nationality, political party affiliation, socio-economic, gender and the list goes on. The intent was to remove all the crazy politics of the time in which we live and to reframe the conversation-- and rather than being a “political” statement, this is a public service message serving the community of professionals the committee represents. We also wanted all our members to know that this organization is a “open, neutral and safe” place. After all, we are all in this fight against eating disorders together! xxxxx Symposium 2024 in Florida will be a wonderful gathering to learn and network with our entire community of professionals.

Anne, xxxxx remains true to our mission of excellence in providing first-quality education and high-level training standards to an international multidisciplinary group of various healthcare treatment providers and helping professions, who treat the full spectrum of eating disorder problems.

Sincerely,
Bonnie Xxxxxx

#4 Kip's Final Response

Bonnie,

Thank you for your response as I do appreciate the dialogue regarding these issues.

Based on your response, you seem to be unaware of how you are doing the very thing you are claiming to change. By sending out the original email, you ARE being racially biased. You ARE making racially and gender motivated political statements. This is NOT uniting but more divisive.

Your response confirms the things you are saying you deny. How do you believe your original email is 're-uniting'? I'd like to understand as it seems to do the opposite.

You indicate everyone in your organization is 'open, neutral, and safe' place, yet, again, your original email and response reveals the opposite. How open are you to diversity of ideas?

And, let's be clear about who is initiating hostilities and segregating our culture to those demanding acceptance, legislating emotional regulation rather than embracing diversity and the end of systemic racism. There is no longer a need and demand to continually make race and gender an issue, especially with a non-political struggle like eating disorders.

No one is pro-eating disorder. Apparently, you do not realize you are using it or hiding behind it to promote a gender and racial agenda. You are promoting a cultural war. If you are unaware as it appears you are then even worse, you are willingly promoting political activism and cultural division based on race, gender, and sexual identity.

Diversity to you, it appears, means skin color, sexual, and gender identity rather than a diversity of opinion and ideas, and critical thinking on how to improve the statistics of those struggling with eating disorders. You clearly do not represent me nor anyone I know.

Eating disorders know no bounds AND the treatment options are the same while specified to the individual no matter what age, gender, identity, or skin color.

My guess is the conference will now be full of these types of gender and racial identity platforms and political messages rather than a diversity of ideas and treatment options for eating disorders which again, does not discriminate.

Ever wonder why the statistics for eating disorders in every category have not improved? In fact, they are worse and obesity is consuming this country. What we are doing is NOT working. How about we address that vs generating more division in our field.

No further response needed.

Sincerely,

Anne "Kip" Rodgers

What's In Your Inbox?

And that's where it ended. So what did Kip accomplish? While we'd all like to think our actions can move mountains the reality is that they usually don't. But I'll bet you she gave the original author of the first mass email and the "Bonnie" who eventually chimed in to the thread some pause in their thought process. Did they change their mind about their core belief system and move to "the other side"? Probably not. But that's how dams and dikes (the Dutch variety) eventually break, is one small crack or leak at a time.

But collectively, that's a different story. You can only impact one starfish on the beach at a time, but together, we can clear the beach!

We got this.