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Posted: 02 Aug 2011 05:26 AM PDT  In 1989, I wrote a letter to our local newspaper, the Herald-Argus. They had been running a front-page series on Infant Mortality in our county – that it was on the rise. The focus on the series was the “new poor” and those who were unable or unwilling to get pre-natal care either due to ignorance or lack of health insurance coverage . I was disgusted – this was supposed to be investigative journalism? Infant mortality and premature deliveries were, indeed, on the rise but instead of investigating potential causes, there was just a lot of finger-pointing.And it was personal. Two weeks prior to the week-long series, I had delivered a baby prematurely – almost three months prematurely. As I read the series, my baby lay in a neo-natal intensive care unit thirty-eight miles away from my home. Because answers were important to me, I felt the series was wasted print space. I was not part of the new poor, both my husband and I worked – we also had a healthy two-year old, we had health insurance, and I received excellent pre-natal care. No answers were ever offered. I do know that because I was healthy and took care of myself, my baby survived, unlike many other babies I watched die in the NICU I visited daily. I wrote to the newspaper, expressing my sorrow that responsible investigative reporting had not been accomplished. Surprisingly, they printed my letter. Many of my friends saw the letter and were surprised – we had not shared our misfortune outside of family and close friends, mostly because we were not yet sure our baby would survive. Thankfully, after 87 days in the hospital, little Renee Christine, born weighing 2 lbs. 5 ozs., came home weighing a whopping 5 lbs. She had fought hard to live and we were so grateful. And my words made a difference. Maybe not immediately, maybe not at first. But I had sounded off at two entities, our local paper and our community hospital (not the hospital where my baby had stayed) - neither of which provided answers to the public. Family, friends, and friends of friends were supportive and in agreement with us. One person asked if my mother had written the letter surprised that I, at 25-years old, could write with such directed anger and expressiveness. It was the first time I felt powerful or that my words mattered. They did. They do. Opportunities abound daily that allow us to share knowledge, distribute requests for change, and change or open minds. Ugly irrationalism is not the way, but so often the path many choose. I think of the political shows that litter the airwaves or the phony religious fanaticism that dupes so many. Why? Because we want to have a place on high where blame or credit can reside. Try looking inward and what YOU can do, what YOU can change, how YOU can educate or be educated. Whether it is getting people to talk or encouraging people to listen, there is a place and need for adult behavior. Absoluteness lies only in mathematical equations. Photo Credit Health Sciences Technology.  Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology. She is also a proud mother of four residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a contributor for Blogging4Jobs. Connect with her on LinkedIn.  |
Posted: 02 Aug 2011 04:17 AM PDT  Yesterday, I posed a question from one of my readers. She’s actively looking for a job in the human resource industry, speaks fluent English and Arabic, and is active in her Woman’s Muslim Association. She wondered if mentioning these small pieces of information might be hurting her job search.Little did I know that yesterday was the beginning of Ramadan and the timing was perfect for posing this question. Instead of posting a blog that dispensed advice, I asked my readers to share their thoughts, advice, and opinions on this topic. Should religious information even leadership experience be contained within your resume? And more importantly, is being Muslim keeping this job seeker for landing a job? What I find interesting about controversial posts like this, isn’t the conversation that happens on the blog but the email messages, direct messages from Twitter, and conversations in other places outside of Blogging4Jobs. Is it because this topic is controversial and persons wish to share their insights anonymously or are other mediums the preferred platform in which to discuss topics like these? To read the comments from yesterday’s blog from some of the leading HR, Career Coach, and Recruiting experts, please see yesterday’s post. I’ve copied and pasted my response to the job seeker from her email message below:
What do you think? Am I wrong or am I right? And what about those who might not be Muslim but are involved in leadership and volunteer roles in agencies that could lead to additional personal information being divulged by the candidate? For example, you volunteer at the local women’s shelter because you are a domestic abuse survivor or are a community leader advocating finding a cure for cancer? Photo Credit TheMuslimWoman.org.  |
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