2009 Intensive Winter Institute
“Uniting Science, Culture, and Practice to Transform Lives and Strengthen Communities” was the theme for this year’s winter institute. We were all privileged to enjoy this conference in fast-paced, diverse city of Miami, FL. What I found interesting about the city of Miami, are the harsh realities that the city is facing in regards to immigration, unemployment, mental health, and substance abuse concerns. For example, upon my preparation for the trip to Miami, all I kept thinking and hearing in my mind was Will Smith’s famous song, “Miami’, where he says, “…where the heat is on, party all night ‘til the break of dawn, welcome to Miami…” Obviously, I don’t know the words to the chorus, but my point is this, it wasn’t very warm; however, people did party until the break of dawn! I expected that, but as I said previously, I wasn’t prepared to hear about the “real” Miami.
During this institute, we were privy to hear about the challenges facing the people of Miami-Dade County, which primarily consists of Cuban, South American, Mexican, Haitian and other Spanish-speaking populations. If I could sum up my thoughts about the people of Miami, I would describe them as a very diverse group of people of color, who collectively make Miami the culturally vibrant city that it is.
I had the opportunity to speak to Dr. Anita Kaplan, who is the President of the Miami-Dade Medical College Campus in Miami. I was impressed by Miami-Dade’s commitment to the community and addressing the educational needs of the community, as well as the importance of diversifying the faculty and student body to mirror the community in which the college resides. As Dr. Kaplan spoke, I could not help but to think about the impact that our research could have on a community and the power that they would then have if they were educated, and their needs were met, based on what was important to them. As a beginning researcher, one of my unspoken goals is to be able to change a community, even if it is simply one person at a time. I believe that one manner in which I can do this, is not to see myself as the expert in another’s life, but to hear their needs and meet them where they are. The vision of Miami-Dade College, the work that they have accomplished, and their commitment to the community is an exemplary example of how meeting the needs of those we intend to help can make a difference, not just for the individual, but for their families and the community as a whole, for many years to come.
After the institute had come to a close, I had the opportunity to see many of the realities of Miami, such as the segregation, the blight of many neighborhoods, and the disparity of economic resources available to the unspoken poor of Miami. Fellow Kim Jolly, took me on a tour of her old neighborhood and began to tell me about the suffering of many of the people in the area. We drove literally across the river from the glitz and glam of South Beach to an area that was visually depressing as well as economically depressed. As we drove through this neighborhood, we turned down a small street with no sidewalks and small homes that were in poor condition. We stopped in front of this home that was very small, it was fenced in and next to Kim’s childhood home. She explained to me how this is the area where all of the illegal immigrants live and how there can be multiple families living in these small homes.
The one thing that really shot an arrow through me, was at the home with the fence around it, a woman came out of the home and with her she had a little girl about the age of 8, there was a boy who was about 10 years old and two teen girls that stayed on the porch. The woman kindly asked if we needed any help and Kim explained to her that she grew up in the house next door. Then Kim complimented her and told her how pretty the little girl was. I was not prepared for the conversation that transpired next. The woman said without hesitation, “here you can have her” as she gently pushed the girl towards us. I couldn’t believe it, this was a child, not a puppy. How could she so seriously, yet so casually be willing to give her child away to complete strangers that just happen to drive up! What was even more heart-breaking was the little girl’s face. I believe she knew that the woman was serious and this is not the first time she had been offered to someone. No matter what the family conditions were, I could see plain as day on that girl’s face that she would rather spend the rest of her days with the “family” that she knew than to be given away to a complete stranger, despite the assumption that she may receive a better life. Sadly, the woman kept encouraging us to take the girl. I had to finally say to the girl, that we were not going to take her, but I told her that Kim and I were both nurses and that she could grow up to be nurses just like us and help other people too. She had the biggest smile on her face after I said that to her. To her brother, I told him he was going to be a doctor when he grew up. After, we wished them well-we left. I was heart broken and trying to make sense of it all. Kim did her best to try to explain to me the reason for the woman’s persistence, but the more she spoke, the more difficult it was for me to understand. I often think about that little girl and hope that she remembers our words to her and uses them to keep her motivated and encouraged throughout her life. People throughout my life have cared enough for me to share with me their vision of where I would be. They spoke life into me. I now had a dream, hope, and something to look forward to beyond my circumstances. I may not be able to find all of them to thank them and tell them how much they helped me, so I try to pay it forward. Although I may never see that little girl again, I hope that my words spoke life into her.
Brandon Respress, MSN, RN
(Photo Gallery to Come!)