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ALUMNA SPOTLIGHT
Called to Lead
One of the hallmarks of a Baldwin girl is leadership; comfort in being at the helm and self-assurance about her place at the head of the table. Most Baldwin students develop this sense over the course of their time at 701 Montgomery, but for 2021 Baldwin commencement speaker Dr. Florencia (Renni) Greer Polite ’93, her sense of obligation to lead was present from her first day at Baldwin as a high school freshman. “There were not many Black students at Baldwin at the time,” she recalls. “I determined that I was going to be a conduit to the Black community. I wanted to challenge any preconceived notions they may have had and give them only positive impressions of Black people.”
While this was a tremendous amount of pressure to put on her 13-year-old shoulders, it ultimately led to a rich and successful four years at Baldwin. While maintaining a rigorous class schedule, she also served as the President of the Black
Student Union and Vice President of the
Student Senate. She also won the Yale
Book Award and was voted most likely to be moral and to encourage others. ” ““At Baldwin I found my voice,” she said. “I learned the power and impact of that voice and that what you do and say matters beyond the immediate moment. I have carried that lesson with me. It has inspired some of the most pivotal points in my life and my career.” One of those moments came in the summer of 2020, when Dr. Polite was asked to speak at a Penn Medicine kneel for George Floyd. Dr. Polite had attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania before practicing in New Orleans for several years and had only recently returned to Penn Medicine as an Associate Professor of Clinical
Obstetrics and Gynecology and Chief of the Division of General Obstetrics and
Gynecology. The audience she addressed included the leaders of the entire Penn
Medicine health system. Dr. Polite recognized that this would raise her profile in a way she hadn’t sought out, but she felt compelled to speak. “If I’m going to be part of some sort of protest or movement, then I want to be the one verbalizing what is being protested, I don’t want anyone else speaking for me,” she explained. In her address, she was frank in expressing her outrage and clear in expressing her expectation for real and meaningful change. While she didn’t seek out the spotlight, Dr. Polite once again heeded the call to lead earlier this year when the COVID-19 vaccine became available. Due to a mistrust of the medical establishment born of the history of racism in healthcare, Dr. Polite knew there was great reluctance around the COVID-19 vaccine among the Black community. She herself felt a degree of hesitancy to get the shot when it became available, but she set that aside. “I had to be a leader,” she recalls. “It was one of those moments where you either stand up or wish later that you had. I knew I had to lead the charge for the Black and Brown employees of Penn Medicine so I signed up to get the vaccine the first day it was available.” She didn’t just stop there. Knowing the barriers between Black and Brown employees and the vaccine were significant, Dr. Polite realized it would take more than leading by example to make a difference — she needed to take action. Along with a colleague at Penn Medicine she helped develop Operation CAVEAT (COVID Acceptance Vaccine Education and Adoption Taskforce). As Black leaders at Penn Medicine, they were in a unique position to provide education and raise awareness among staff members of color. The program utilized photos of Black and Brown Penn doctors receiving their vaccine shots paired with CDC stats and frequently asked questions on handouts and screensavers that were made available to staff throughout the hospital. Conversation and Q&A opportunities came when Black and Brown doctors joined the staff group’s regular “huddles” to answer questions about the vaccine and talk through their own decision to receive the shot. The effort was capped off with an anti-racism town hall, moderated by Dr. Polite, which was attended by more than 700 employees. In the wake of the push there was an initial closing of the gap between employees of color and white employees who chose to get vaccinated. Fortunately for today’s Baldwin girls, Dr. Polite’s desire to give back extends beyond her place of work. Upon her return to the area, Dr. Polite reached out to Baldwin to give back with her time and expertise. She has since visited Baldwin numerous times to speak with Upper School students about important issues within her area of expertise such as sexually transmitted diseases, contraceptive options, consent and sexual assault. “That is what I love about what I do,” she explained. “I want to take care of, inform and empower young women so they feel like they have control over these situations.” When she took the stage at commencement, Dr. Polite carried forth that message of empowerment and encouraged the Class of 2021 to use their voices as she has, but also to be aware of the privilege they have known. “I am not ashamed of my privilege and I’m not asking you to be ashamed of yours,” she told the graduates. “What I am asking you to do is look around the metaphorical table and take notice of who is represented and who is being left out. Whose voices are being heard and whose voices are being left out.” Dr. Polite encouraged this next generation to address the systemic and institutional privileges that lead to disparities. “You have the power to break down barriers and create real equity,” she told them.
“I know the power of my voice and how to use it – and that comes from Baldwin,” said Dr. Polite. “I want these young women to know that they have the same power. The lessons they’ve learned at Baldwin can have a tremendous ripple effect when they are put into practice.” As she told the Class of 2021 at the conclusion of her address, “
”“You are Baldwin graduates,