COMMUNITY NEWS
Hall & Newel Lauded by PEN America P EN America has awarded the 2021 PEN/Benenson Courage Award to Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency Director Mimi Khin Hall and Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel for exceptional acts of courage in freedom of expression. They accepted the award at PEN’s literary gala Oct. 5 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Hall and Newel spoke openly about the animosity and threats they faced as they mandated precautions to protect their community during the most severe waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. For most of her career, Hall has worked in public health, combatting the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1990s; advocating for science in California’s rural counties across spates of H1N1, Ebola, and Hepatitis A; and navigating outcry against the Affordable Care Act. Newel worked as a gynecologist and obstetrician delivering 10,000 babies and helped develop a lactation center and pregnancy programs for underserved women before joining the County of Santa Cruz in 2018. Hall and Newel share a drive to save lives. As Hall describes in an October 2020 town hall meeting, “Dr. Newel was clear and firm in her resolve that our early actions would help serve us and our community for the long run. We were one of the first counties in California to declare a local health emergency...and one of the first counties to have stay-at-home orders, absent any orders coming from the state, back in the beginning of March. I do believe that resolve and quick action helped keep overall transmission low for months.” These critical restrictions were met with outright hate by some. After Newel ordered the temporary closure of most businesses and beaches and prohibited most social gatherings, her inbox began to overflow with spiteful accusations and threats, and a meeting she held was shut down after a man from the community violently lunged at her. At a news conference June 25, 2020, Newel shared her frustration that beach closures had become impossible to enforce, saying, “People are not willing to be governed anymore.” During the pandemic, she repeatedly emphasized that while she could implement various measures, “individual actions are the ones that determine how we do as a community.” Hall says of her and Newel’s decision to speak about the public resistance to public health measures, “We knew we had support and probably wouldn’t be fired, whereas many of our colleagues in the field could not say the same thing. For many people, if you want to stay in your
job, you couldn’t speak out in the way we did. But Gail and I also had the conversation at one point where we both said we’re in a fortunate enough position that if push comes to shove, we’re willing to lose our jobs to do the Mimi Hall right thing.” Hall and Newel spoke out about the threats they faced to The New York Times and This American Life as they feared for their safety and the safety of their families. Newel received chilling emails listing her address and the names of her children; Hall received a letter threatening her family and wishing her a slow death. Newel’s house was at times surrounded by protestors blaring horns, she was served papers at home by members of an extremist group, and the sheriff advised her to walk in public only if escorted. This occurred as they worked tirelessly to organize a robust public health response—resulting in some of the lowest case rates throughout the pandemic, and one of the smallest equity gaps in vaccinations. Newel says, “Mimi and I share a set of values based on honesty, trust, openness, speaking from the heart, and truly cherishing our community and community members. We both see this award as being for all of the public health workforce and all the public health heroes—so many of whom operate in this way. The two of us have gained some notoriety for our courage to speak out about our experiences under threat, but there are so many of our colleagues who deserve the same praise. I know we both feel we’re accepting this on behalf of all of the boots on the ground during this pandemic.” Hall, who tendered her resignation in September to enter the nonprofit sphere, says, “People are calling this the end of an era—there’s a huge exodus, and many people are being forced out of their jobs. It’s not okay what’s happening now. I don’t think there’s any time other than now that I’ve actually been afraid for American democracy, and it’s highlighted and exacerbated by this assault on science and service. This award feels like a chance to recognize the under-the-radar work that public health officials and workers do all day every day throughout the world. I’m so happy that this award means that the work of my colleagues in the field is being acknowledged.” PEN America Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Nossel says, “Mimi Hall and Gail Newel are standard-bearers for everyone who’s on the side of responsible public health messaging. As we recognize them we applaud the countless medical workers
who have stood up for science and sound policy in the face of menacing public outrage.” Guests at the gala were asked for vaccination proof and a negative COVID-19 test result. Gail Newel This year’s event, hosted by Golden Globe Award-winning actress, writer, and producer Awkwafina, honored Emmy and Peabody Awardwinning filmmaker Henry Louis Gates Jr. with the Audible Literary Service Award;
and three imprisoned Iranian writers Baktash Abtin, Keyvan Bajan and Reza Khandan Mahabadi—all free expression advocates—with the Barbey Freedom to Write Award. ••• bout Mimi Khin Hall: She was born in Myanmar, to parents determined to provide a future of freedom for their three children, escaping decades of military rule, human rights abuses and violence against ethnic minorities. As US immigrants, her family believed they should be of service.
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Halloween
ACROSS
1. *Hitchcock’s 1963 movie, with The 6. Bad-mouth 9. H or O in H2O, e.g. 13. France’s longest river 14. Bauxite, e.g. 15. Opposite of adore 16. Proprietor 17. Quaker Man’s cereal 18. Oozes 19. *Corpse 21. *Bobbing for what?, pl. 23. One time around 24. Bébé’s mother 25. General Post Office 28. Actuary’s concern 30. Named, in bygone era
35. Not easy 37. Accepted behavior 39. Kitchen floor layer? 40. Northern European capital 41. *Overly consumed on Halloween? 43. Actress Spelling 44. Nature’s rage 46. Bangladeshi currency 47. Colossal 48. Bowling prop 50. Famous Himalayan 52. Bugling ungulate 53. Valedictorian’s spot 55. Possessive of “it” 57. *Pennywise and Joker, e.g. 60. *Traditional Halloween garb 64. Honolulu greeting 65. Costa del ____
67. Plant fungus 68. Mild and pleasant, weather-wise 69. E.T. transporter 70. Popular spring flower 71. Hole-making tools 72. Young newt 73. Country singer ____ Hill
11. Uh-oh 12. Wife’s title 15. Facet 20. Actress Linda of “Dynasty” fame 22. Be nosy 24. South American wild cats 25. *Bedsheet with holes? 26. Command that follows DOWN “cut” 1. Coalition 27. Acrylic fiber 2. Corn Belt state 29. Show off 3. Drink garnish 31. Low-cal 4. Cheerlessness 32. Skip the wedding 5. Offered on a platter hoopla 6. *Door-to-____ 33. State of danger 7. George Gershwin’s 34. *As opposed to treat brother 36. Small town or hamlet 8. Plural of seta 9. Cain’s biblical brother 38. Manufacture 42. 2:3, e.g. 10. You, in bygone era
45. Carnie’s domain 49. Grandmother, for short 51. Reflexive of “it” 54. Question in dispute 56. Parallel grooves 57. *Raven’s grabber 58. Take it easy 59. Electrical resistance units 60. Blood-related problem 61. Tangerine grapefruit hybrid 62. Castle protector 63. Carve, as in stone 64. Lawyers’ league 66. “____ with their head!” © Statepoint Media
Answers on 31 »
www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / October 15th 2021 / 25
