In this episode, we had a conversation with Dr. Seema Yasmin, an Emmy Award-winning journalist, poet, medical doctor, and author. Yasmin served as an officer in the Epidemic Intelligence Service at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where she investigated disease outbreaks and was principal investigator on a number of CDC studies. Yasmin trained in journalism at the University of Toronto and in medicine at the University of Cambridge. She received an Emmy for her work on neglected diseases and was a John S. Knight Fellow in Journalism at Stanford University investigating the spread of health misinformation and disinformation during epidemics.
On her book, “Muslim Women Are Everything”
Seema Yasmin shared her struggles regarding being seen, heard, and taken seriously as a Muslim woman. She often felt as though when big institutions and organizations celebrated a Muslim woman’s acheivments, the syntax and the context showed that there was a sense of surprise that Muslim women could acheive such things. Yasmin tweeted in 2017 about this concept, and her editor asked her to write a column about the topic However, Yasmin thought it would be more effective to write a series of vignettes on Muslim women doing incredible and mundane things called “Muslim Women are Everything”. She highlights women who are diverse in age, political position, ethnicity, and accomplishment. The main takeaway of her book is that Muslim women have the capacity to acheive amazing things, just like individuals in any group. Yasmin emphasized the importance of leveraging communication as a fundamental skill. “Know what your personal mission is and know your audience”. Yasmin did just that in her novel “Muslim Women are Everything.”
“Yes, we are lazy, we are ambitious, we are brilliant, we are not so brilliant, we are all of the above.”
On the importance of believing in yourself
Many have questioned Yasmin’s competence. For example, Yasmin was advised not to even try applying to medical school because she would never get in. Yasmin has been told over and over again that she is not capable, and she reminds listeners to not be discouraged as, unfortunately, this type of criticism is normal if one is not a cis, white male.
“It is exhausting to be a fighter and being crushed by the world sometimes.”
Yasmin emphasizes the importance of curating a support network for yourself. Many times, being an ally can be quite performative. Yasmin emphasizes that the best way to “show up is to pass the mic” and help make underrepresented voices heard. Additionally, a lot of work needs to be done in terms of dismantling the patriarchy.
“The patriarchy is kind of bad for everyone … it doesn’t let men be their full selves … It is not our best way of being.”
One man that proved to be a good ally is a Dutch physician named Dr. Lange, who was regarded as a visionary in the world of HIV. Yasmin wrote a book about him called “Impatient Dr. Lange”. He graduated school in 1981 when hospitals were being filled with young men with something called “gay cancer, formally known as HIV. During the HIV epidemic, admidst racism and discrimination in hospitals. Dr. Lange was known to call out racism and injustice. Dr. Lange saved millions of lives. He was a scientist, but also a humanitarian, like Seema Yasmin.
Just as Dr. Lange’s legacy influenced Yasmin, Yasmin has been a huge inspiration to other women.
“You will get told “no” over and over again and it can be discouraging… you can persevere but not without community.”
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Written By Anna Kroner
