J A M E S B . H U D A K P R O F E S S O R O F H E A L T H P O L I C Y L E C T U R E

PAULA LANTZ

Associate dean for academic affairs, James B. Hudak 
Professor of Health Policy at the Ford School

POPULATION 
HEALTH 
DISPARITIES: 

HISTORY, TENSIONS, AND 

NEW POLICY DIRECTIONS

Free and open to the public. 
Reception to follow. 

Info: fspp-events@umich.edu 
fordschool.umich.edu

@fordschool #HudakLecture

Thursday, October 24, 2019
4:00-5:20 PM

Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
Annenberg Auditorium, 1120 Weill Hall
735 S. State Street

 

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan in Color
Monday, October 21, 2019— 3A

Mahalaya

For 
most 
Bengalis, 
Mahalaya marks the return 
of goddess Durga to Earth 
and also marks the beginning 
of the Durga Puja festivities. 
This 
usually 
occurs 
mid-
to-late September, after the 
monsoons--also a time when 
a lot of flowers are in full 
bloom in India. Coming from 
a Bengali family, I looked 
forward to this time most 
of all, mostly because it was 
the time when my 
grandmother’s garden would 

look the prettiest. She grew 
roses, 
mogras 
(arabian 
jasmine), 
shiuli 
(night-
flowering jasmine), marigold, 
and 
a 
variety 
of 
other 
flowers. Through deep blues 
signifying rain, mellow whites 
symbolizing rain clouds and 
purity, and yellows and reds 
communicating warmth and 
happiness, I wanted to capture 
the essence of Mahalaya in 
this painting. Along with 
depicting my grandmother’s 
flowers, I used actual flowers 
from the past year’s Durga 
Puja to physically connect this 
painting to one of my happiest 
childhood memories. 

Debunking 
immigration myths

An unknown number from San 
Diego was calling me. Earlier that 
day, I’d reached out to San Diego 
LGBTQ+ bars and businesses for 
a non-profit supporting LGBTQ+ 
asylum seekers. I picked up the 
phone, expecting to hear a friendly 
voice on the other end who wanted 
to talk about supporting the non-
profit I was interning for during the 
summer.
Instead, the man who called me 
started ranting about how, even 
though he was gay, he didn’t support 
LGBTQ+ asylum seekers — or any 
asylum seekers and immigrants for 
that matter — who were coming to 
the border. He yelled about how 
they were coming illegally and 
about how his grandmother was 
on food stamps and her welfare 
was being taken advantage of by 
immigrants.
My hands were shaking while 
he was ranting; I wanted to argue 
back, but what was the point of 
engaging with someone who clearly 
would not be swayed by anything I 
said, who lacked empathy for those 
fleeing persecution and trying to 
find a better life? It was draining 
to listen to him, so I just hung 
up. I cried for a while after. His 
phone call was an all too familiar 
reminder of the anti-immigrant 
sentiment and policies that were 
happening over the summer, of the 
unwillingness of our government 
to recognize the humanity of other 
people, regardless of their national 
origin or documentation status.
Everything 
the 
man 
said 
was misinformed and based on 
stereotypes. No, asylum seekers 
and immigrants are not coming to 
the border illegally — they are going 
through legal ports of entry. But the 
Trump administration has actively 
made it harder for asylum seekers 
to claim asylum by “metering” 
them, 
meaning 
Customs 
and 
Border Protection officials wrongly 
turn asylum seekers away at ports 
of entry because they say there’s 
no room to process them. This and 
other policies under the current 
administration — like “Remain in 
Mexico” — violate both domestic 
and international law.
It isn’t like asylum seekers and 
immigrants have been coming for 

an isolated reason either. Many of 
them are fleeing Central American 
countries 
such 
as 
Honduras, 
Guatemala, and El Salvador, for 
various issues such as gang violence 
and a lack of accountability by the 
state. It’s important to remember, 
though, that the current instability 
is affected by U.S. intervention 
in the region during the ‘80s and 
‘90s (let’s also not forget the long-
term consequences of colonialism, 
too). There’s a tragic irony in the fact 
that the U.S. is turning away the very 
people who have been harmed by 
the country’s actions (for example, 
creating conflicts in the region and 
supplying guns to gangs). Many 
of the asylum seekers identify as 
LGBTQ+, escaping a region that 
has the highest rate of reported 
murders of transgender people. 
Other reasons include indigenous 
peoples fleeing persecution and 
farmers 
and 
environmentalists 
who have had to leave because 
of 
worsening 
environmental 
conditions.
As for this man’s comment 
about welfare and immigrants: If 
he wanted to blame someone for 
the inadequate amount of welfare 
Americans receive, he should look 
at Ronald Reagan, who drastically 
cut back on welfare in the ‘80s, and 
Bill Clinton for nailing the coffin on 
welfare in the ‘90s. Undocumented 
immigrants, despite paying taxes 
and social security fees, can’t even 
access health care or reap any of 
the benefits for the things they 
pay for. Refugees receive only nine 
months of government assistance 
and asylees receive none. And 
up until 2009, immigrants with 
documentation were barred from 
Medicaid and CHIP for five years 
after entering the U.S. (Androff, 
David K., et al.) My parents and I felt 
the effect of this kind of legislation; 
we didn’t have health care until 
after we were naturalized five years 
ago.
I wish there had been a way for me 
to tell that stranger on the phone all 
of this — though I doubt it would’ve 
really changed his mind. Our 
country has become so polarized 
on immigration that even when 
people are faced with facts, they 
still buy into the misinformation 
and stereotypes. They forget to see 
the people behind the numbers and 
the policies: people who have hopes 
and dreams and fears and stories 
that expand beyond a border.

MONICA KIM
MiC Columnist

Allyson Felix: Athlete, mother, 
activist without conditions

Allyson Felix, an American 
track runner and field sprinter, 
recently earned her 12th Gold 
Medal at the World Athletics 
Championship in Qatar –– she also 
surpassed the legendary Usain Bolt 
in winning the most olympic gold 
medals in history. She welcomed 
her daughter 10 months ago, and 
this will be her first win since 
giving birth. Nike sponsored Felix 
for seven years, but the 
relationship ended due 
to their mistreatment of 
pregnant athletes. The 
track star is now the face 
of Athleta, its first ever 
sponsored athlete. 
Felix gave birth two 
months 
earlier 
than 
expected, had to undergo 
an emergency C-section 
and 
experienced 
life-threatening 
pre-eclampsia. 
Pre-eclampsia 
is 
marked by high blood 
pressure 
in 
women 
during 
pregnancy 
in women who have 
not had high blood 
pressure before. Other 
women like Beyonce, 
Serena Williams and 
Mariah 
Carey 
have 
also 
experienced 
preeclampsia 
during 
pregnancy. 
Her accomplishments 
deserve to be celebrated. 
However, there is much 
needed 
discussion 
around 
how, 
and 
most 
importantly 
if, these brands are 
truly 
in 
support 
of 
their 
ambassadors. 
Felix shared her Nike 
pregnancy story as well 
as two other athletes, 
Alysia 
Montano 
and 
Kara 
Goucher, 
who 
broke 
their 
non-
disclosure 
agreements 

in order to reclaim their autonomy 
back in May. There was a lack of 
support, and no secure maternity 
protections for any of these 
women, and therefore they were 
silenced.
Women are able to hold more 
than one identify regardless if 
they were considered to be an 
athlete first. Female athletes train 
hard, have sleepless nights, do 
not get to spend time with their 
loved ones and have to constantly 
prove themselves as skilled in their 

sport compared to men. There 
should be no conditions about 
one’s personal life, like wanting to 
start a family, that may jeopardize 
their career. Women are allowed 
to do what they feel makes their 
life worthwhile, without facing 
scrutiny from a support system 
that is supposed to have their best 
interest in mind, and this should go 
for society, as well. 
Felix said she now she runs for 
her daughter, for younger girls, and 
for single mothers. Her daughter 

gave her motivation when she 
was unsure about being able to 
run again. I am grateful to Felix 
for sharing her Nike story and 
being loud and proud about being 
an athlete, mother, and activist. 
There is no order that those words 
have to be in for any woman that 
plays a sport or for any mother to 
be considered less of an athlete or 
less of a mother. And there is no 
need for an explanation to anyone 
about the order in which one lives 
their life.

MICHAELA MINNIS
MiC Columnist

A classroom 
through my eyes

When going to a lecture that 
you know no one in, you hope 
that friendly people sit next to 
you. There is that intimidation 
of not knowing anyone and 
awkwardly looking through 
your phone or doing things on 
your laptop to keep yourself 
preoccupied 
while 
others 
around you chatter away. Half 
of the people there seem to 
know exactly what is going 
on and the other half seem 
to be just as lost as you. You 
hope that someone nice, who 
also doesn’t know anyone, 

sits next to you and that you 
can both bond over the fact 
that the professor is a little 
quirky or that the in-class 
quizzes are super confusing. 
There is comfort in knowing 
that there is someone there 
who is feeling the same exact 
way you are and that is how 
friendships are built in the 
classroom. 
 But being a person of color 
really changes how I feel 
about all of this. 
 Walking into a discussion 
section for the first time, 

RAHIMA JAMAL
MiC Blogger

Read more online at 
michigandaily.com

Illustration courtesy of author 

DEEYA CHATURVEDI
MiC Featured Artist

