Illinois (ECWd) –
The Illinois Department of Health and Family Services is now providing instruction on Unconscious Bias, Microaggression, Microinequities, Microinsults, Microassaults, and Microninvalidations.
In promotion of the training, the director made a statement in her email to HFS personnel that clearly failed to recognize our history. Such misinformation must be exposed so that future positions on such history are not biased inappropriately. Maybe that could be another slide in the presentation and called “Historybias”.
Director Theresa Eagleson said in her email: “Last Thursday, I wrote an intermediate note to the team reflecting upon the unprecedented violent activity that took place in our nation’s Capitol – something never seen in the modern history of our country and done to undermine a process by which the very foundation of our democracy was built. “
History proves what happened in our Nations’ Capital on January 6, 2021, was not unprecedented violent activity in our Nations Capital.
- Bomb Rocks US Capital – July 2, 1915
- On March 1, 1954, four Puerto Rican Americans fired guns in the House of Representatives, injuring five congressmen. They were demanding independence from the US.
- Bomb Explodes in Capital – March 1, 1971
- November 7, 1983, a bomb tore through the second floor of the Senate wing of the Capitol.
We believe knowing our history and the context of the time is important to help prevent future bias.
Director Eagleson also stated there was an insurrection at the US Capitol. To claim there was an insurrection appears to be a biased position. We say that because to date, we have not seen a single person convicted of insurrection and have yet to identify anyone actually criminally charged with such a crime. To prevent creating bias on the matter maybe we should wait and see what the Department of Justice actually prosecutes and obtains convictions on before making statements of fact.
While we disagree with some of Director Eagleson’s claims in her email, we are confident those who know our history and take the time to educate themselves will find the truth.
Below are links to the Powerpoint presentations as well as the Directors’ email to the “Team HFS. We understand that training is being mandated for all HFS employees.
Happy Monday Team HFS!
My apologies for the lateness of this note today, but I lacked time over the weekend to think or write as I had originally planned. Many of us were speaking to legislators and advocates about our hospital and health care transformation proposal, while also working with legislators and staff on the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus agenda on their proposal to advance equity in healthcare. To say the least, we are receiving a lot of feedback on how we, as a Department, relate to customers in communities all across the state.
We started sharing “Monday Morsels” in the middle of a pandemic so that we could strengthen our connection in the furtherance of our mission and purpose as a Department. Over the past several months, I’ve been sharing the results of our collective work on sharpening our vision for the future where we have honed in on equity as a foundation of our work. What’s going on around us is a key aspect of our work and touches each and every one of us in different ways.
I received a lot of feedback (directly and indirectly) on the note sent last week – a lot positive and some negative. One of my truths is that feedback of all kinds is good for numerous reasons, which is why I create opportunities to receive it at all levels of the department. Not only do those providing it have voice, but it challenges us to open our minds to expressions and feelings beyond our own, giving us an opportunity to try to understand where others are coming from. Diversity in perspectives makes us a stronger team and helps us develop better programs and services for our customers.
Some of the feedback that I received was centered around the adjectives used to describe mostly peaceful protests over the summer months and the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week. Thank you for comments. Your feedback is encouraged and welcomed, whether positive or negative.
Last Thursday, I wrote an intermediate note to the team reflecting upon the unprecedented violent activity that took place in our nation’s Capitol – something never seen in the modern history of our country and done to undermine a process by which the very foundation of our democracy was built. This is a moment in time that will be forever be embedded in our history and our minds.
My comments were not political, nor meant to be divisive. The reason I used the adjectives “black-led” and “white” as descriptors was last week were to intentionally call out the differences in police response between the events and toward the groups of people participating in each. And, to challenge us all to think about the biases that exist in our society that cause such differences.
We ALL have bias, as my note discussed, and we will be discussing more. Having these difficult conversations is potentially the ONLY thing that brings understanding, acceptance and true teamwork. It’s our awareness of those biases and what we do and how we treat others that we’re talking about here. In our new vision and values, we speak of EQUITY. A big part of what I think we need to do across all our programs, policies, and interactions is to review them to ensure that all those who have been marginalized are represented and that their voices are amplified and heard.
My hope is that everyone joins as we work tirelessly to champion equity, and to combat injustices across economic, political, and daily life that pose as barriers for so many. Together, let’s continue to do the work…. (in the words of Evonda Thomas-Smith) “until justice JUST IS”.
As we approach 2021 with new energy and hope we must assure our efforts to be an organization that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion. Next week, we will be talking more about that part of the vision and our bold goals in that arena.
In the spirit of togetherness,
Theresa
Theresa Eagleson
Director IL Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services
Bloom Building – Springfield
217-782-7755
(She, her, hers)
12 Comments
Mags
Posted at 09:01h, 25 FebruaryThese tactics are right out of the Chinese Communist/Marxist Playbook. As Mike Pompeo said a year or so ago, he had a list of Governors who were friendly with China. The Chinese Communist Party has infiltrated our local Governments, K-12 School Administrators, Colleges and Universities, etc… This needs to stop. We need to keep putting pressure on our local governments to stop this destructive agenda. No good will come from this.
jannie
Posted at 19:14h, 24 FebruaryI didn’t read your entire article at this time. (only the very 1st few paragraphs) I believe she may have been implying (though not being able to read her mind) that because this was a “large group of people” who stormed their way into the capitol that it hadn’t happened in modern times. I wasn’t aware of the bombs blowing up inside the bldg and whether a large group of people were in there planting the bomb or one individual. Guess I’ll look it up as personally I don’t remember those – my guess is the 1971 had something to do with the War.
I’ll read the rest of the article when I have time.
In my lifetime living through Vietnam War protest, etc. nothing has saddened me more than the attack on the capitol and seeing the violence, distruction and seeing the hatred that has been encouraged.
Somebody
Posted at 20:27h, 24 February“”nothing has saddened me more than the attack on the capitol and seeing the violence, distruction and seeing the hatred that has been encouraged.””
This is exactly what I thought when I saw the daily rioting throughout the summer months. At least the capitol riot was a 1 day affair, unlike the summer riots that went on for months.
HT
Posted at 23:16h, 24 FebruaryBingo!
Leftists all have intentional amnesia or brain farts about the non-stop violence against civil society, government properties, lives, and businesses for most of 2020, and pretend to be sad and angry about 1/6. Oh, and they continue to ignore the development that the many contributing factors leading up to 1/6 indicated that there was no encouragement or insurrection from anyone on the right.
Pretending to be dumb sometimes is just that, dumb.
And the fake sadness about the protest from the Vietnam war. What about it? Was it that the hippies here were cheered on by those Viet Cong soldiers in Vietnam? Or was it that when American soldiers came home, they were spat on and were called baby killers?
Typical leftists: Fake outrage. Fake empathy. Fake knowledge of history. Fake sense of civility. Only true in their anti-American attitude.
The Divorce can’t happen soon enough.
JIMBO
Posted at 00:54h, 25 FebruaryNothing? The story of the Chicago Seven, or eight is pretty darn relevant here now and was then too, in the 70’s…you know…before MASH, the internet and menopause.
Dave
Posted at 23:25h, 25 FebruaryFor someone who lived thru the hate-filled Vietnam era, you sure have forgotten allot. I know how soldiers got treated by protesters when they returned home. from the war. Nothing has ever saddened me more than the hate-filled scummy treatment of US soldiers who did their duty
PK
Posted at 19:08h, 24 FebruaryIncredibly, this particular agency of the Illinois governor is still using an administrative form that is non-current with language specified by a significant legislative effort and eventual Public Act, effective January 1, 2016.
That’s a “Monday Morsel” given to the agency via electronic form submission to the Governor’s office on the 1st day of business in 2020; and again to the Governors’ agency delegate (Director Eagleson’s office) soon thereafter. Five years later, and the same damn non-current form language is still accessible on the agency’s web-site…form HFS 3304 (R-4-12), last updated 2012.
C’mon Springfield…where’s your legislative oversight and follow-through effort!
PK
Posted at 19:39h, 24 FebruaryTo be clear, according to an HFS regional office representative in late 2018, one of the reasons for not bringing the form current is that they (The Department) didn’t have any other people complaining about the form.
Pattern recognition: Agency biasing on validity scale
Somebody
Posted at 18:55h, 24 FebruaryThose training docs are disturbing.
HT
Posted at 18:29h, 24 FebruaryIf it’s not so sad and stupid, it’d be funny to imagine how White Americans should react to this garbage. That should include White folks of Jewish descent, of mixed ethnic groups, and especially that most of White Americans alive now have NOTHING to do with any historical inequities. When they hide under terms such as “marginalized” and “inequities”, they’re not talking about the various racial minorities that flocked to America for new life. They’re talking about one particular group, of which most of us have nothing to apologize for or have wronged. They’re simply prefacing this for the next step, which is forced reparations.
What about after they’re done going after White folks? What else? What about Asians who descended from some early settlers that came for the railroads? Recent immigrants? When will they stop with this madness?
As with any unprincipled fools, there’s no end to their hunt. There always has to be a prey, and eventually, they’ll need more preys to stay relevant.
Why wouldn’t any self-respecting persons, especially of Caucasian descent, just quit? How insulting.
Good time to follow through with the big Divorce and split this country into 2 pieces. Let’s see who’ll opt for freedom from these commies
Dave
Posted at 18:26h, 24 February“Some ideas are so stupid that only intellectuals can believe them.”
Slightly Sightful
Posted at 18:10h, 24 FebruaryHistory is only important to those who desire to prevent failure as a consequence of repetition. When a negative outcome from action is known, and people continue with similar or identical trajectory, one can only assign ignorance or malfeasance. In either case, ignorance or malfeasance, neither is tolerable from people revered who rise to the level of representation. Where I come from this behavior is incompetent at best, diabolical at worst. We cannot stand down for the cause of political correctness without discovering the intent of our representation. We clearly know from perspective what their intent is, but until the rays of daylight project the realization of such chicanery, some people will continue to blindly endorse our newest national declaration, the declaration of dependence. When Independence is discarded, its burial will be right next to honor. These sophists are filled with disdain and have no interest in righteousness. They hate you, me, and worship only themselves. They enjoy our discomfort, as if dispensing torture. That should inspire reprisal, and it will, when we’ve had enough.