Ethics on the Stage Presents: What I Learned In Paris

On August 28^ththe Ethics and the Arts Initiative sponsored a discussion with playwright Pearl Cleage and the actors from her play What I Learned in Paris. The discussion was moderated by the Emory Center for Ethics’ Director, Dr. Paul Root Wolpe. The questions explored were after a moment of change, how people deal with that change.

The play’s setting is Atlanta, during the 1973 mayoral elections and campaign for Maynard Jackson.  There was a large amount of energy within the campaign. People believed that the campaign would break all prejudices. When the campaign ended, though there was great change in race dynamics, there continued to be inequalities in gender relations. The play explores that moment of change, what changed, and the realization that there is a difference between when change occurs and when people finally understand that the change has occurred.

Pearl Cleage worked for the campaign in 1973, which gave her a unique perspective on the events of the campaign and the events that occurred in Atlanta during that time period.  One of the main themes was that people can either accept change or live in fear of that change.  If you do not believe that people understand change has occurred, and you do not act like change has occurred, then nothing will ever be different.

The discussion had a large attendance. Before the discussion began there was a dramatic reading of select scenes from the play. The audience asked insightful questions. The actors, all of whom came from diverse backgrounds, brought their own perspective on the characters. Dr. Wolpe noted that the actor’s perspective brought another layer to the discussion, as actors always have insights to their characters that may or may not be a part of the script.

The discussion was partially a way to get people excited for the play which began its run in early September. Many people in the audience were long time fans of Pearl Cleage’s literary work. It’s fair to say that many of them walked away with an increased interest of Cleage’s plays.

Editorial by Emily Anne Thomas

-Journalism and Social Media Student Assistant

Emory University Center for Ethics

A Small Town Grandmother Educates Doctors in the Art of Seeing

Carlton Mackey captures his Grandma Pearl Taylor in the kitchen preparing sweet potato pies.  (Blackshear, GA)
Click Image to Enlarge.

Sometimes the unexpected happens, and you smile.  Today was one of those days. 

If you asked me a month ago if I thought that I’d ever make a presentation as a featured speaker to a group of neurosurgeons, I would have laughed.  But last week that is exactly what happened.  At the invitation of one of the Emory neurosurgeons I, potentially one of the only non-scientists to do so, gave a Neurosurgery Grand Rounds presentation titled the Art of Seeing based on my photography.  I felt both honored and humbled by the experience.  At the same time, I was in awe of the vision of the surgeon who thought to make the connection and bring this unlikely pairing together.  Below I reflect on one part of that presentation.

Today I talked about my grandmother.  I talked about how my understanding of who she is and much of my experience of being raised by her was influenced by the doctors who administered her care.  I talked about the fact that knowing her intimately means knowing that she is diabetic, and that she takes having diabetes very seriously.  As a boy I grew up giving her insulin shots twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.  I grew up having dinner every night with a cup of sweet tea beside me, a plate with rice, two vegetables and a meat in front of me, and always casually just in the distance was a box that never left the table –a box that contained the pills, doctor’s notes, alcohol swabs, a glucose monitoring device, and a tablet filled with meticulously tracked “blood sugar numbers”.

You see, what doctors, physicians, surgeons may take for granted is the residual impact, influence, and sheer presence that they have in the lives of the people they offer care to and consequently the people those people care for.  They may not know that I still know the names of the doctors who performed surgery on my grandmother over 15 years ago.  They may not know that they are still discussed at the dinner table when I go home to visit.  They may not know that my understanding of the single most influential person in my life is pervaded by thoughts, memories, and experiences that they directly have a hand in shaping.

As a photographer, I seek to use the medium of photography as a means of communicating information as well as a means of seeking understanding. In looking back at many of the personal images I've taken of my grandmother over the years, I realize that I am both communicating and learning equally.  My grandmother is one of my favorite photography subjects, and many of the images that I’ve taken of her throughout the years focus on this area of her life.   

But what the doctors also aren’t always privy to is the knowledge that there is so much more to their patients than their illnesses.  They may often see their clients in a one-dimensional light.  They may often see their conditions and the reasons for the doctor’s visit and miss the person.  They don’t get a chance to see the love that Grandma puts into baking her homemade cookies, cakes, and pies.  They don’t get a chance to see her hold her great grandson on her lap.  They don’t get a chance to see her defy their so-called range of flexibility when she throws her hands in the air to say, “Thank you Jesus.  You’ve been so good to me!”  They don’t get a chance to see all of that…until now. 

In a series of images projected on a screen in the neurosurgery conference room, they were able to see the pill bottles on the kitchen table, the needles, the hospital bills, the fingers pricked by years and years of blood sugar testing along with those same hands making sweet potato pies and those same fingers squeezing her great grandson’s thighs.  It was in this more comprehensive view of one patient that they were able to see and be challenged to continue to see beyond the diagnosis and beyond the procedures the people they offer care.  Hopefully they were able to seem them as far more complex, resilient, and more whole than they have ever been able to before.

And it was my great joy to be invited to show them.

-Carlton Mackey

Director, Ethics & the Arts Initiative

Assistant Director, D. Abbott Turner Program in Ethics and Servant Leadership

Emory University Center for Ethics

This Week: Ethics in the News August 6-10, 2012

Highlights from some of the week's top ethics news stories.


US Athletes Gets Media Attention   

U.S. hurdler Lolo Jones has been receiving a lot of attention from the media throughout the Olympics, however, it was not for her athletic performance. The media has criticized Jones for all of the publicity she has received solely based on her "exotic beauty and on a sad and cynical marketing campaign." Critics go on further to say that she will portray herself in whatever way the public wants her to be in order to be in the spotlight and labeling her to be the "Anna Kournikova of track." Jones was hurt and disappointed by the lack of support from U.S. media and undermining all of the hard work she put into the sport of track and field.

usmagazine.com

Read more.....NYTimes - For Lolo Jones, Image Is Everything 

Read more.....Huffington Post - Lolo Jones Gets Emotional On 'Today' Over Media Criticism, Hurdles Loss
Read more.....CBS - Lolo Jones gets emotional while responding to "heartbreaking" criticism

Mississippi Church Bans Wedding of Black Couple 

Charles Wilson and Te'Andrea Henderson Wilson were denied the opportunity to marry in a Mississippi church as this predominately white church refused to marry a black couple in the sanctuary. The pastor that was to officiate the wedding told the couple that he could lose his job if he were to marry the couple in his church, the First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs, but would perform the wedding at another church. First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs claims they have apologized for refusing the couple to wed in the church but the Wilsons say they have received no such apology.

Read more.....Huffington Post - Wedding Banned: Miss. Church Apologizes for Barring Black Marriage

Read more.....FOX - Miss. church apologizes for barring black marriage 

Wisconsin temple shooting  

During a Sunday service at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, a gunman opened fire, killing six people and critically wounding three. The gunman was shot dead by police who responded to the attack. Authorities have identified the shooter as Wade Michael Page, who has links with the white supremacist movement, and believe the attack was a domestic act of terrorism. This tragedy has reignited the gun-control debate that was initially sparked by the Colorado theater shooting.

csmonitor.com

Read more.....CNN- Sources name alleged gunman in Wisconsin temple shooting
Read more.....Huffington Post - Wisconsin Shooting: 7 People Killed At Sikh Temple, Including Shooter

South African Runner to Make Olympic History - Team Advances to Finals 
Oscar Pistorius along with the other members of the South African 4x400M relay time will be competing in the finals at the Olympics. A runner collision with a member of the Kenyan team initially put the South African team out of qualifying for the finals but after a review, a referee disqualified Kenya and advanced South Africa. Although the inclusion of this double amputee in able-bodied athletic competitions sparked controversy as Pistorius runs on a pair of prosthetic legs, this athlete made history as the first amputee to compete in an Olympic track race.

Read more.....Huffington Post - Oscar Pistorius, South Africa Advance to Olympic 4x400M Relay Final After Protest
Read more.....Washington Post - Oscar Pistorius makes Olympic history, advances to 400 semifinal

A Need For Ethics in the Government
Jack Abramoff stressed the need for ethics reform during his presentation to the National Conference of State Legislatures this past week. Abramoff was the lobbyist who went to prison after he plead guilty to a series of corruption crimes and now advises that public officials be mindful of what lobbyists do. After serving his time in prison, Abramoff now advocates for ethics reform and though he believes that a majority of lobbying is ethical, there are loopholes that need to be closed.

Read more.....Huffington Post - Jack Abramoff Urges Ethics Reform In NCSL Speech

Gabby Douglas' Hair: Why It Doesn't Matter

On Thursday August 2, 2012, 16-year-old Gabby Douglas made Olympic history by becoming the first African American gymnast to win the all-around gold medal. Her outstanding performance also made her the first American to ever win the team gold and the all-around gold in the same Olympics. Her win immediately made her an idol for young girls and a source of encouragement for individuals of other minority groups to become involved in the sport of gymnastics.

abcnewsradioonline.com

Though I assumed the public would respond to Douglas’ achievements with nothing but support and pride for the U.S., the young gymnast is receiving the same if not more publicity about her hair. Regardless of the fact that the rest of the U.S. women’s gymnastic team wears their hair in the exact same fashion as Douglas, women continue to criticize the appearance of her hair. It was Douglas’ determination, commitment, and talent that won her the gold medal, not the way she wore her hair. By focusing attention on her hair rather than significance her of her win, women are undermining Douglas’ accomplishment as an individual and undermining women’s progress as a whole.

Instead of worrying about whether or not this athlete’s hair meets the standards of what the public deems acceptable, why not give her the recognition she deserves? How unpatriotic of people to have only jokes and criticism about an individual who has basically worked their entire life towards being able to represent their country at the Olympics. Gaby Douglas represents advancement for women and for the black community, and for critics to turn a moment of such accomplishment into matter of appearance is selfish and disrespectful.

This post reflects the expressed opinion of CFE Student Journalism Intern, Antolina Ramirez.  Ramirez is a Senior Digital and Broadcast Journalism major at the University of Georgia.


For more OpEds:
CNN - Why focus on Gabby Douglas' hair?
ESPN - Gabby Douglas' hair draws criticism
Huffington Post - Gabby Douglas Hair: Olympian's Mom, Natalie Hawkins, Responds to Daughter's Hair Critics 
LA Times - Why are people being mean to Gabby Douglas?

Center for Ethic's Senior Faculty Fellow Provides Insight For Parents with Soon To Be College Students

Marshall P. Duke, Center for Ethics Senior Faculty Fellowand Candler Professor of Psychology

Center for Ethic's Senior Faculty Fellow and Candler Professor of Psychology, Marshall P. Duke, began an annual "Talk to Parents" when he was director of the Emory University Psychological Student Counseling Center in hopes of helping parents and their children deal with the transitions that come along with students beginning college. Duke continues to speak with parents and students and in his recent article published in the Huffington Post, he shares information that he believes is essential for parents to know during this emotional time of change.

Starting College: A Guide for Parents 

In the opening paragraphs of his novel, White Noise, the amazing Don Delillo evokes an image that will soon be played out across America -- the return or first arrival of college students on college campuses:

"I've witnessed this spectacle every September for twenty one years. It is a brilliant event, invariably. The students greet each other with comic cries.... The parents stand sun-dazed near their automobiles, seeing images of themselves in every direction..... They feel a sense of renewal, of communal recognition..... This assembly...as much as anything they might do in the course of the year , more than formal liturgies or laws, tells the parents they are a collection of the like-minded and the spiritually akin, a people, a nation." (1986, p. 1)


Read more.....Huffington Post - Starting College: A Guide for Parents

Dr. Paul Root Wolpe Discusses Use of Biotechnology in Athletic Competitions

Center for Ethics Director, Dr. Paul Root Wolpe, explores the debate and controversy surrounding the use of biotechnology in athletic competitions. The inclusion of athletes with prosthetics like Oscar Pistorius, a South African amputee who ran in the 2012 Olympics on prosthetic legs, raises ethical questions of fairness and challenges us to define what it means to have a disability.

telegraph.co.uk.

Oscar Pistorius, an inspiration and a question 

Oscar Pistorius, the South African amputee who is running in the 2012 Olympics on prosthetic legs, might be surprised to learn he is part of a history that traces back 3,500 years.

Many ancient civilizations used prosthetic limbs made of wood and metal to get soldiers back into battle. They were also used for basic health reasons. For example, archaeologists have found two very old Egyptian artificial big toes that had been skillfully crafted. One toe was still fastened onto the right foot of the mummy of the daughter of an Egyptian priest, who may have suffered from diabetes. How good were the Egyptian prosthetics? Modern volunteers with similar amputations tried them on and reported the toes were both comfortable and highly efficient during walking.

Read more.....CNN - Oscar Pistorius, an inspiration and a question

This Week: Ethics in the News July 30-August 3, 2012

Highlights from some of the week's top ethics news stories.

Teen Gets Plastic Surgery to Stop Bullying   

Fourteen year-old Nadia Ilse recently underwent plastic surgery in hopes of stopping the taunting she received from other students at her school. Since the first grade Nadia had been teased for her ears and begged for her mother for an operation to pin her ears back. The Little Baby Face Foundation, a charity that provides free corrective surgery to children born with facial deformities, granted Nadia her wish. However, some wonder what message this is sending to kids? Should parents allow their kids to have plastic surgery because they are being bulllied?

Read more.....Huffington Post - Nadia Ilse, Bullied Georgia Teen, Receives Free Plastic Surgery From Little Baby Face Foundation
Read more.....CNN - Your thoughts: Plastic surgery for bullied kids

Chinese diver learns of tragic news
Chinese diver Wu Minxia won gold in the women's synchronized 3-meter springboard competition this past Sunday. Yet shortly following her victory, her parents revealed a secret to Wu that they had hidden from her for years. Wu's family made great efforts to conceal her grandparents' death and her mother's battle with breast cancer in order to ensure her success at the 2012 London Olympics. Her parents explained that their daughter no longer belonged to them and sharing the information of her family's deaths and cancer diagnosis would be frowned upon by Chinese government.    

brecorder.com

Read more.....Huffington Post - Wu Minxia, Chinese Olympic Diver, Wins Gold, Learns Mother Has Cancer And Grandparents Died 
Watch video.....CNN - Diver wins gold, learns tragic news

Afghan girls risk attacks to get education 
Young girls in Afghanistan continue to be attacked by men who are opposed to girls' education. These attackers threaten girls with violence out of fear that if they receive an education, they will become aware of their rights as not only a woman but a human being as well. Although more men are becoming more receptive to the idea, women still remain oppressed and attacked by groups who oppose their desire for an education. 

Read more.....CNN - Acid attacks, poison: What Afghan girls risk by going to school

Representative Laura Richardson reprimanded by House
On Thursday the House reprimanded representative Laura Richardson, Democrat of California, for her inappropriate use of her official staff for campaign and personal reasons. Although Richardson defended herself, claiming the accusations against her to be "baseless and misleading", the House Ethics Committee remained critical of her work ethic. These ethical violations left Richardson to pay a $10,000 fine and now the ninth lawmaker to be formally reprimanded by Congress in U.S. history.

politico.com

Read more.....NYTimes - Democrat Reprimanded for Misusing Staff in Race
Read more.....Huffington Post - Laura Richardson Reprimanded By House

Contraceptive Mandate in effect

The mandate in the Affordable Healthcare Act, which requires employers to provide access to free contraceptive coverage, took effect on Wednesday. Despite the criticism that claims this piece of legislation is an attack on religious freedom, opponents of the mandate were unsuccessful in upending it. Although it exempts churches, the mandate affects business with 50-plus employees and imposes a large fine for businesses who do not comply with it, which could result in large financial blows to religious affiliated companies that refuse to abide by it. 

Read more.....CBS - As contraception mandate goes into effect, opponents continue to fight

Read more.....FOX - Contraceptive mandate takes effect amid calls to overturn, concerns about religious freedom 

Center for Ethics Director Comments on Chick-fil-a

Center for Ethics Director, Dr. Paul Root Wolpe, was recently quoted in an AJC article about the Chick-fil-a controversy.

AJC.com

Chick-fil-a controversy plays out on social media

"When Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy stated his support for traditional marriage last week, it set off a firestorm of public debate. In just a few hours, the battle lines had been drawn — in cyberspace. Tens of thousands of commenters on websites such as the Huffington Post and Chick-fil-A's Facebook page either vowed to boycott the Atlanta-based purveyor of chicken sandwiches or pledged to support them."

Read more.....AJC - Chick-fil-a controversy plays out on social media

EASL Interns Reflect as Summer Program Ends

Malcolm Tariq, Martha Polk, Joseph Matthews 

As the Ethics and Servant Leadership (EASL) Summer Internship program came to a close, the EASL interns, their placement site supervisors, graduate assistants, and EASL directors, Dr. Edward Queen and Carlton Mackey, came together to share and reflect on this year's summer internship. Divided into 4 groups based on the interests of their organizations, EASL interns presented the personal goals, lessons, and challenges they have overcome and taken away from their internship. Whether it was in the form of a poem, song, or even a collage, these presentations lacked anything but creativity and inspiration.

“I’ve always been someone who wanted to do good and this summer has equipped me to do so,” shared EASL intern, Gabriel Nahmias. “I’m glad to be a part of a program that allows us to fulfill our potential.” Gabriel's involvement with the EASL program has also presented opportunities beyond his summer internship with Southeastern Council of Foundations. “In the immediate future I’m going to be working part time with the organization I was with over the summer,” Nahmias added. “In the long run I think that the program has opened a lot of doors for me.”

Martin Krafft presents on his work at the Gateway Center

As small group leader Mariangela Jordan watched the members of her group share the experiences of their internships, she couldn’t help but reminisce of the time she was an EASL intern. “Having gone through the program myself as a student a few years back, I was already quite a big fan of the EASL program because when I was an intern at the IRC (International Rescue Committee) I was able to focus on my career aspirations and academic interests,” explained Jordan. “So as a grad assistant, I have the occasion to have a different view point into the program. You know all of the hard work that the students usually go through and by having assessed their time logs and notes I have noticed a pattern, and that is eagerness to make a mark on the world.”

Martin Krafft was just one of these interns who was enthusiastic to empower others through volunteering. Krafft was pleased to volunteer at the Gateway Center, aiding the efforts of this organization to help move individuals out of homelessness.  “It’s been really helpful to have a group gathered together with a mission statement of figuring out ways to be an ethical person and how to transfer that to bring about social change,” described Krafft. “I think what this internship has shown me is what it is like to get a lot of people together with a shared cause to better the world."

"This year's EASL Summer Internship Program was yet another wonderful opportunity to work with a group of young men and women and to present them opportunities to learn more about a particular field of interest," explained Assistant Director of the EASL Summer Program, Carlton Mackey. "[It was an opportunity] to provide them valuable skills that they can use in their future work and to provide them opportunities to reflect on, basically, who they want to become in the world."

Louisa Pinto and Margot Pagan

Margot Pagan, an EASL intern at the Georgia Conservancy, recognized these opportunities and found the EASL program to be a great way to adjust to the working world and allowed her to strategically think about what she wants out of her future career and life goals. "Most of my friends had internships this summer and everyone learned a lot but I think that EASL complements work life incredibly well," Pagan added. "I am incredibly thankful that I applied and was able to participate in EASL. It truly is an incomparable way to spend your summer." 


Photos by Mariangela Jordan