By Alyson K. Myers, M.D.
Associate Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Department of Medicine, Montefiore Einstein
Associate Professor, Montefiore Einstein

Recently a mentor of mine was cancelled for being woke for her definition of the word privilege in her institution’s DEI newsletter. She defined privilege as “a set of unearned benefits given to people who are in a specific social group. Privilege operates on personal, interpersonal, cultural, and institutional levels, and it provides advantages and favours to members of dominant groups at the expense of members of other groups.” She then went on to give examples of privileged groups in America – including those who identify as White, male, heterosexual, cis-gendered, abled, Christian, middle/upper class, middle-aged or English speakers.

Dr. Alyson Myers, Ph.D.Faculty ProfileResearch Profile

The CEO of of Do No Harm Medicine replied that Johns Hopkins has, “created a toxic culture rooted in a DEI ideology that demonizes and indoctrinates the very students they’re tasked with training to become the next generation of medical professionals.”

The CEO of Tesla added: “This must end!”

Why is it so difficult for people to accept and identify their privilege? There are clear advantages for those who check multiple boxes of privilege. Let us use mass transit as an example. The MTA is required to have accessibility at every three stations, not all stations. For those of us who are able, that’s not an issue so we can get off at our nearest stop. However, for someone who has mobility limitations or uses a scooter/wheelchair this is not an option, they may have to get off 1 or 2 stops away from home, which may be far. Some of you may be thinking, people with disabilities (PWD) can simply use access-a-ride. Unfortunately, access-a-ride is not perfect. We’ve all had patients nearly miss or miss their appointments as access-a-ride cancelled on them at the last minute or they picked them up late. Working with the disabled community is rarely taught during training so in November we had a training on accommodations for executive leadership, division chiefs, program directors, and the diversity committee with Dr. Lisa Meeks. There is a wonderful article that she co-authored that allows us to reflect on our biases about this population as well as to have a better understanding of the diverse needs of this population; Aspiring to Disability Consciousness in Health Professions Training, which was published in January 2024 in the AMA Journal of Ethics AMA J Ethics. 2024;26(1):E54-61.

Also, we must consider the neighborhoods where public transportation is easily accessible may disproportionately benefit those from higher socio-economic status. In the outer boroughs, transportation is not as readily available as it is for those who live in Manhattan, where most of the wealth in NYC is concentrated. An ideal NYC transit system would have every station with accessibility, multi-lingual signage and reach every neighborhood equitably. The city’s solution to ease the burden of accessibility was to install more Citi Bikes. What the city forgets is that bike lanes are not available on all bridges (i.e., the Whitestone or Throggs Neck), which would add to the time needed for people to commute. They also forget that people with motility issues may not be able to ride a bicycle. Add to this that many of us travel over 5 miles to get to work so bike riding is impractical. Furthermore, Citi Bike docks have complicated an already limited amount of street parking options. Unfortunately, these are things that we as individuals cannot change on our own, but they are issues that we can address with our elected officials.

The frustrations of  privilege or the lack thereof can extend into the workplace. Folks like Elon Musk call for the dismantling of DEI as it stands for discrimination, exclusion, and indoctrination, as opposed to its true term diversity, equity, and inclusion. If we want to speak on discrimination and exclusion, then we should look at the evidence for who is on the receiving end. Ironically, Elon Musk’s company Tesla is being sued by our government’s Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for the maltreatment of Black employees. Employees alleged that were called racist names and were exposed to nooses, swastikas, and racist graffiti in the workplace. This should come as no surprise, as Mr. Musk has tweeted both racist and antisemitic comments on his platform X. A few weeks ago, he visited the Auschwitz camp for atonement, but clearly was tone deaf as he followed up the trip by using one of the worst insults in the book: “2/3 of my friends are Jewish.” Did he not learn from Nikki Haley’s similar gaffe a few weeks earlier when she noted that she had Black friends after her controversial response to the cause of the Civil War? If you really have friends in these minoritized groups, then why would you make such inflammatory comments? In other words, it comes as no surprise that Musk would allow for a discriminatory and exclusionary work environment while being so critical of a world-renown professor who succinctly defined his privilege.

For those who unaware about the true forms of discrimination and exclusion, exclusive of DEI initiatives, that occur in our workplaces and/or society, here are a few:

For every 100 men promoted to manager, there are only 87 women. The chances are even lower for Black and Hispanic/Latina women. Male and/or White privilege.

In 2023, the FBI reported that hate crimes have increased by almost 800% in 2022, most of which impacted Black, Jewish or LGBTQ+ communities. White, Christian, and/or heterosexual privilege.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations received 1,283 requests for help and reports of bias in October 2023, during the same period in 2022, they only received only 406 complaints. Christian privilege.

According to the US Census Bureau, home ownership is higher among those 35 and over compared to those under 35. Age and/or Class privilege.

When privilege is used to demean or prevent people from succeeding then it can be bad as in the case of hate crimes, or housing or job discrimination.  When privilege is used for good, it can be rewarding. I am privileged to belong to an economic class higher than majority of my family and most in my Queens community where the median income is only $67,489 (less than the NYC average). During COVID, I helped several of my neighbors’ secure appointments for the COVID vaccine. Many of them have low computer literacy, have a primary language of Spanish, or do not drive. My elderly next-door neighbors were privileged as both of their children are physicians, so they arranged for their parents to get vaccinated. Although we lived in a community where COVID rates were high, vaccine access was limited, so I often had to make appointments in neighboring Brooklyn or Long Island. Also, food deliveries were not always available. My former employer offered a discount on a home delivery of fresh produce from a distributor that I will not name. I placed an order and was told that they could not deliver to my zip code, and I would have to drive an hour to Huntington to pick it up.

Meanwhile my coworker in Massapequa, a town with a median income of $148,295 was able to get a delivery to his home without any problem. Despite my class privilege, I lacked the zip code privilege to take advantage of this offer.

Acknowledging our privilege should not be seen as an insult or a putdown. Rather, it should allow us to fulfil our commitment to Albert Einstein’s call for social justice. We all need to reflect on how we can use our privilege(s) to uphold Einstein’s mission for us. As he said, “the world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” What will you do?

Resources for Persons with Disabilities

Wellbound Home Care for Adults and Children with Special Needs
Olivia Maxwell, Patient Advocate
646.427.9842 or 718.400.WELL (9355)

Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD):  a state agency that provides services to people of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Bronx Office, 2400 Halsey Street, Bronx, NY 10461
Shanequa McIntosh Whitemore, 718.430.0369
Scott Lawson, 646.766.3324

Advocacy Humanity Reimagination Change (AHRC): advocates for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities by providing services such as respite care and help with guardianship. https://www.ahrcnyc.org/