Diabetes Blog – Happy-Medium.net

Update: Another donor has graciously stepped forward, and now I can say that we can provide registration for the Diabetes UnConference and Friday and Saturday night at the destination hotel for the event. Yay!
I will pick a winner on August 14.

I read with great interest this well-written article from Chelcie Rice that was featured over at Insulin Nation recently. Christopher Snider and his sister Jeanette talked about the post and the subject on their podcast, Mark All That Apply. I think both are worthy of attention, and for what it’s worth, both have me thinking about this subject again.

As I mentioned to Chelcie after he linked to his story on Facebook, I think about the lack of diversity every time I attend a diabetes event. It’s not that there is a lack of color at events; often, there is no color at all. Even though we all know that people of color are disproportionately affected by diabetes. It’s something that’s entirely different from the ethnic makeup in every other part of my life.

But hey, I’m an advocate… but wait, I can’t change my ethnicity… so what should I really do if no one shows up who doesn’t look like me? I’m not sure exactly what I should do. But I know what I can do.

I will promise to provide one scholarship to this October’s Diabetes UnConference to a person of color. I will promise to pay for registration to this event in Alexandria, Virginia.

This will only include the price of registration. I’m not rich enough to include travel, so that will not be included. I can’t guarantee much else either. But hopefully, this is something, and hopefully it will get someone to consider applying for the scholarship who up to now has been on the fence about attending a diabetes event.

Why am I doing this? Because I’m altruistic and wonderful? It’s a little more complex than that.

The truth is, every single time I’m at a conference or research summit, I notice the lack of diversity in the room, and I think about it. This past Friday’s Outcomes Beyond A1c meeting (more on that later in the week) was an exception, but most of the diversity in the room came from outside the USA. To this point, I haven’t done anything about what I’ve seen.

I’m also well aware that this won’t exactly solve the issue of diabetes meetings, conferences, etc. that are not as diverse as they could be. I mean, it’s not like people of color have been excluded from the events I’ve attended. And where there has been diversity, it appears to me that people have been welcoming.

But by and large, diabetes conferences and other events still look different from the way the rest of my world looks. And if doing this one, small thing helps to begin to change that, if it begins to help communities that have been underrepresented, I’m comfortable with my decision.

There are powerful leaders among us, and it would be ludicrous to think that they are all white. As I’m fond of saying, we need all the advocates we can get. Frankly, I don’t care what they look like. And while I can’t speak for them, I suspect that the white friends I have in the diabetes community feel the same way.

Likewise, there are many in need of support and empowerment in the diabetes community, and I have to believe the needs I see among those who look like me are at least matched by those who do not look like me. And if they’re in need, frankly, I don’t care what they look like.

I haven’t thought very hard about rules for this little effort. But for starters, here’s what I’m looking for:

– You need to be a person of color (loosely defined; in other words, you don’t look like me)

– Since this is for the Diabetes UnConference, you must be an adult living with diabetes, or an adult close to someone living with diabetes of any type

– You need to want to use your opportunity to help others… paying it forward is part of the plan

We’ll make up the rest as we go along.

If you’re interested, send me an e-mail using the E-Mail Stephen link in the upper left part of this page. On August 14, I will pick a winner from among those responding. Be ready for follow-up questions. I don’t want to make it difficult for you, but I do want to make sure you can make it, and I want to make sure this event is a good fit for you.

One more ask: Please share this with others you know in the diabetes community. I would be thrilled to have to choose from a number of applicants.

Finally, this is not all there is. If we think about it, probably all of us, no matter what we look like, can figure out a way to help make diabetes events look more like the rest of the communities we live in. I’m hoping I can provide scholarships in the future. Not sure if I can, but that’s the goal. But that’s not all I can do. Whether it’s through communicating with additional diabetes groups, or through a donation, or through continuing to be a welcoming presence wherever we are, I know you and I can help make diversity a part of the diabetes advocacy we all believe in.

We all want to reduce the burden of diabetes on everyone living with this disease. This is just one small step. A symbolic step perhaps, but it’s what I can do.
Now, let me ask: What can you do?