Birds in the Bush

 Entry 1     1:39 p,m.  

I am in a meeting right now. It's 30 minutes.  Jenny and Moni are out, not sure where. Jenny's fentanyl patch has kicked in, and it is quite evident. It has impacted her response time, when you talk to her, her balance, her judgment. Along with the fentanyl, the palliative care doc told her to keep taking her other meds. She was on lots of drugs before, now it is so much I am concerned.  I suggested she not use the fentanyl patch anymore, after she told me the pain in her side is unimpacted by it--the reason she is using the fentanyl patch. I hope she will reach out to Dr. B about this, but it doesn't require his approval to get off the drug.

I mentioned judgment is a big problem. You may recall that Jenny was telling her friends a week ago when she found out that additional help was coming, how she was worried about seeing Eric.  It seems to be top of mind for her, even impaired. This morning, she texted Moni and told her she would like to drive today. Moni texted Chris and me in a panic.  I was in a meeting and didn't see it. Moni came in the house, took a look at Jenny, and told her she isn't driving. Jenny might be mad about it tomorrow, but today she is loopy, very loopy and laughed when regaling me of this later.

4:25 p.m.

The weekend is here. I need this. Sad to see that Lani Guinier has passed. I had the privilege of meeting her and spending a small amount of time with her when I was at NYU.  She and my mentor, Professor Derrick Bell Jr., were good friends, and for good reason.

 Professor Bell gave up his job and tenure at Harvard after 3 finalists were named for a law professorship, a white male and two women of color. When the white male turned the job down, Harvard decided they were going to start the process over, rather than offer it to either of the women. Bell took a leave of absence, and eventually lost his tenure over this.  He demanded that the university hire a tenure track woman of color. There were no women of color on staff, only 3 black men, 5 white women, and the rest of the faculty were white men. 40 percent of the student body were women at the time, and about 25% of the students were of color, if I recall correctly. He sacrificed his position as the first black professor at the law school, gave up his tenure, power and prestige, on principle. I should say, the version here is the version I recall Bell telling, but isn't apparent in news articles or television reporting on the matter. But, to be clear, it is hard to imagine he just did this randomly, there had to be a triggering event. I believe that the failure to hire Regina Austin who was black or the Asian American female professor also seeking appointment was the triggering event.  Going back today to look at the discourse, and it is amazing how nakedly racist the opposition to Bell's position was in the NYT and elsewhere, as if asking for equal opportunity was somehow racist. Seems like old times.

A brilliant mind and terrific writer, I am still baffled to this day that more people don't hate Clinton for his cowardice when she was attacked by the right and unable to be appointed as the Asst. Atty. General for Civil Rights. Guinier eventually became the first black woman professor at Harvard in 1998, and she believed Professor Bell's sacrifice made it possible for her to get that position.