TURNED A CORNER ON THIS,
OBVIOUSLY, AGAIN THIS MORNING,
1.5 MILLION AMERICANS FILING FOR
UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE LAST WEEK.
JOINING US NOW IS DR. PHILLIP
OSWA, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF
NONTEFEUR MEDICINE.
DOCTOR OSWA HAS AN OP-ED
ENTITLED I FOUGHT TWO PLAGUES
AND ONLY BEAT ONE IN WHICH HE
WRITES THIS.
AS THE HEAD OF A MAJOR HOSPITAL,
I FOUGHT THE CORONAVIRUS.
AS A BLACK MAN, I FIGHT RACISM.
AS THE PANDEMIC HAS SUBSIDED AND
OUR COVID-19 CASE LOAD HAS
DROPPED TO 143 PATIENTES FROM A
PEAK OF 2,208 ON APRIL 12th, THE
NATION IS COMING TO GRIPS WITH
ANOTHER FEARFUL CRISIS.
THE LETHAL EFFECTS OF RACISM,
THE PAIN OF ALL ARE TOO FAMILIAR
TO ME.
IT’S HARD TO FIND COMFORTABLE IN
THIS TROUBLING TIME, BUT I SEE
RARE HOPE THAT THESE TWIN
DISASTERS HURTING MINORITIES,
ONE A BRAND NEW VIRUS AND THE
OTHER A VIRUS AS OLD AS THE
COUNTRY ITSELF COULD FINALLY
PROVE THE TRUE STRENGTH OF OUR
SHARED HUMANITY.
DOCTOR, THE LAST TIME YOU WERE
HERE, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT YOUR
HOSPITAL’S FIGHT AGAINST
CORONAVIRUS.
BUT YOU CLEARLY AND DIRECTLY
ADDRESS WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON
IN THIS COUNTRY FOR THE LAST TWO
WEEKS AND YOU USE THE WORD HOPE
I NOTE IN YOUR OP-ED.
WHAT IS IT YOU’VE SEEN IN THIS
COUNTRY FOR THE LAST TWO WEEKS
THAT HAS GIVEN THAW HOPE?
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, WILLIE,
AND THANKS FOR HAVING ME BACK ON
THE SHOW.
WHAT I’VE SEEN IN THE LAST TWO
WEEKS IS SOMETHING THAT I
BELIEVE IS UNPRECEDENTED.
IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
PROTESTS GOING ON NOW FOR 15
STRAIGHT DAYS.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF
AMERICANS.
AND WHAT I SEE IS A COMING
TOGETHER TO DEMAND AND TO FIGHT
FOR THE VERY IDEA AND THE VERY
IDEAL OF AMERICA.
WHICH IS FREEDOM AND JUSTICE FOR
ALL.
AND I SEE AN UNRELENTING DEMAND
FOR THOSE IDEALS AND THAT IDEA.
>> AARON, YOU KNOW, I GET TO
CONGRESS IN 1995, HAVE BEEN T
AIR SINCE 2003.
AND IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY TIME A
RACIST CRISIS COMES UP, PEOPLE
TALK ABOUT WANTING TO HAVE A
REAL CONVERSATION ABOUT RACE.
OVER TIME, I’VE LEARNED TO TAKE
THOSE CLAIMS SKEPTICALLY BECAUSE
IT SEEMS THAT WE NEVER HAVE THAT
REAL CONVERSATION.
I’M WONDERING IF YOU’RE FINDING
IN 2020 BECAUSE OF THE GRAVITY
OF THE SITUATION WE FIND
OURSELVES IN, BECAUSE OF THE
NUMBER OF PROTESTERS THAT HAVE
GONE OUT INTO THE STREETS AND
BECAUSE THERE IS MORE BUYIN FROM
WHITE AMERICA, FROM HISPANIC
AMERICAN, I’M WONDERING ARE WE
STARTING TO HAVE THAT
CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW AND DO
YOU BELIEVE THAT WE WILL
ACTUALLY MAKE PROGRESS AS A
NATION AND MOVE FORWARD IN A WAY
THAT WE DIDN’T MOVE FORWARD IN
THE PAST AFTER CHARLES, AFTER
TRAYVON, AFTER ERIC GARDNER?
>> YOU KNOW, JOE, I THINK WE
WOULD A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS
ABOUT RACE IN THIS COUNTRY.
AND I THINK A LOT OF AMERICANS,
ESPECIALLY BLACK AMERICANS, ARE
TIRED OF TALKING AND ARE READY
FOR ACTION.
AND WHAT THE DOCTOR HITS ON IN
THIS POWERFUL OP-ED IS SOMETHING
I’VE HIT ON QUITE A BIT.
WHICH IS THE PANDEMIC WITHIN THE
PANDEMIC.
THE RACISM THAT HAS RAVAGED THE
BLACK COMMUNITY.
BLACK AMERICANS WERE ALSO FACING
WITH THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC,
THE 1-3 PUNCH AND NOW TO BE
CONFRONTED WITH INEQUALITY ON
FULL DISPLAY ACROSS OUR SOCIETY
REALLY HAS JUST BEEN A BRIDGE
TOO FAR FOR SOME FOLKS.
YOU SEE THE CASES OF BREONNA
TAYLOR, THE EMT WHO WAS
LITERALLY TRYING TO SAVE LIVES
IN THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC ONLY
TO BE GUNNED DOWN IN HER
APARTMENT BY POLICE SERVING A
NO-KNOCK WARRANT ON THE WRONG
HOME.
AS WE KNOW, GEORGE FLOYD BEAT
CORONAVIRUS IN APRIL ONLY TO DIE
UNDER THE KNEE OF A MINNEAPOLIS
POLICE OFFICER’S NECK.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE
QUESTION THAT THE DOCTOR RAISES
IN HIS OP-ED AND WHAT OOEFB
ASKING, WHAT IF WE APPROACH
SYSTEMIC RACISM, WHAT ARE THE
SYMPTOMS, IS THERE A CURE, HOW
DO WE GET IT TO PEOPLE?
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST AND WHAT
IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S
RESPONSIBILITY TO ADDRESS THIS
PANDEMIC.
I THINK WE’VE SEEN THE COUNTRY’S
IMAGINATION AROUND THE
CORONAVIRUS AND I THINK WHAT WE
LIKE TO SAY A LOT IN TALKING
ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS IS THAT
WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.
BUT I THINK IT REMAINS TO BE
SEEN IF THAT IS GOING ON BE THE
CASE AROUND SYSTEMIC RACISM.
BUT AS THE COUNTRY REOPENS AND
WE IMAGINE WHAT THE COUNTRY IS
GOING TO BE LIKE, I THINK WE
HAVE TO QUESTION WHAT THE NEW
NORMAL IS GOING TO BE AROUND
RACE RELATIONS IN THIS COUNTRY.
>> DOCTOR, RESPONSE TO THAT IF
YOU WILL.
>> I AGREE, JOE.
I THINK THAT THE CORONAVIRUS IS
NOVEMBER
NOVEL AND THREATENS US AS
INDIVIDUALS.
THERE IS NOTHING NOVEL ABOUT
RACISM.
WHAT WE DID IN FOUR MONTHS WITH
CORONAVIRUS WAS PUT A WHOLE LOT
OF INTELLECTUAL FIREPOWER AND
RESOURCES BEHIND UNDERSTANDING
IT.
WE GOT TO KNOW WHO WAS AFFECTED
BY IT.
WE UNDERSTOOD NA THERE WAS A
SPECTRUM.
SOME PEOPLE HAD IT AND SHOWED NO
STOPS.
SOME SHOWED MILD SYMPTOMS.
AND SOME SHOWS SEVERE STORMS.
WELL, IT MIGHT BE THE SAME WITH
RACISM.
SOME HAVE IT AND IT DOESN’T
SHOW.
UNTIL CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES
EMERGE.
BUT I THINK IF WE APPLY THE SAME
SELFLESS COURAGE AND
DETERMINATION THAT WE APPLY TO
UNDERSTANDING CORONAVIRUS, AND
WE MARSHALL THAT SAME COURAGE
AND CONVICTION TO UNDERSTANDING
ENDEMIC RACISM, I BELIEVE THAT
THERE IS HOPE THAT WE CAN
FINALLY RID OURSELVES OF THAT
VIRUS, AS WELL.
>> DOCTOR, YOU WRITE IN YOUR
OP-ED THAT YOUR HOSPITAL IN NEW
YORK CITY HAS HOPEFULLY SEEN THE
WORST OF CORONAVIRUS FROM THOSE
CRISIS DAYS OF MARCH AND APRIL
WHERE ALL THE BEDS WERE FULL,
THERE WAS NO PPE, NOT ENOUGH PPE
FOR YOUR DOCTORS AND NURSES.
BUT WE’RE SEEING TODAY MORE
REPORTING OF IT POPPING UP IN
OTHER PLACES OF THE COUNTRY,
TEXAS, ARIZONA, OTHER PLACE
THAT’S DIDN’T HAVE THE FOCUS IN
THOSE EARLY DAYS.
AS YOU LOOK, AS A PHYSICIAN, AS
SOMEONE WHO IS AN EXPERT ON
PUBLIC HEALTH, WHAT ARE YOUR
AREAS OF CONCERN AS WE MOVE INTO
THIS LONG SUMMER?
>> RIGHT.
I THINK IN A -- CERTAINLY WHEN I
LOOK AT THE MASS GATHERINGS, AND
THE PROTESTS, AS A PUBLIC HEALTH
OFFICIAL, THAT CONCERNS ME.
I WISH ALL WERE WEARING FACE
COVERINGS ON BOTH PROTESTERS AND
LAW NRCHLS.
SO THAT WORRIES ME.
ABOUT A SURGE AND TRANSMISSION
OF INFECTION.
ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU
UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE ARE ON THE
STREETS.
AND I THINK THERE’S A LONG
HISTORY OF AMERICANS PUTTING
THEMSELVES IN HARM’S WAY TO
FIGHT FOR AND PROTECT THE IDEALS
AND THE PRINCIPALS OF AMERICA.
SO I UNDERSTAND THE ASSUMPTION
OF RISK ON THE PART OF THE
PROTESTERS TO FIGHT FOR A CHANGE
THAT THEY BELIEVE IS A WORTHY
CAUSE.
BUT I DO WORRY ABOUT RESURGENCE
OF COVID-19 WHICH AS WAS SAID
EARLIER, DISPROPORTIONATELY
AFFECTS UNDER SERVED COMMUNITIES
AND GIVING THE REPRESENTATION
AMONG THE PROTESTERS THAT ARE
THE CONFLATION OF THOSE
MULTIPLES DIMENSIONS WORRIES ME.
>> PRESIDENT AND CEO OF
MONTEFEUR MEDICINE, DR. OSMOTH,
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME
THIS MORNING.
WE APPRECIATE IT.
>>> COMING UP NEXT ON "MORNING
JOE," VOTERS HAVE A CHOICE THIS
NOVEMBER AND THE LINCOLN PROJECT
SAYS IT IS BETWEEN TRUMP AND