Updates

HCMC is in the news again. It’s about Nneka Sederstrom, Talee Vang, and the executive leadership team bullying folks again. I don’t know about you, but my mom was the first person who told me that kids who bully others, were probably being bullied at home, but that we still need to stand up for ourselves, and against their behavior. When I was being called Chinese every time I got on the school bus to kindergarten in rural Wisconsin, my mom told me, “Tell them who you are.” I did. I shouted it at them. As a result of this I developed a life-long sense of solidarity with Chinese and other Asian folks because I knew there was nothing wrong with being Chinese, even though I was not. Though my DNA tests now tell me I actually am a little Chinese. How cool. Anyways…

Three unions are demanding an independent investigation of workplace culture at HCMC after whistleblowers again, this time a large group of women of color, have come forward. This time with a few civil rights lawyers behind them. The reason there continues to be a lack of accountability at HCMC is because the organization has no real checks and balances that actually work if the abuse is coming from the small, undemocratically elected, team that runs the hospital.

There is a facade of accountability, but when you look closely, like anything superficial — you can see it’s a pretty veneer that’s quite fraught, and more fake than functional. HCMC is now run by a small group of wealthy and elite people in the healthcare industry who are making between $500,000 to $1,000,000+ a year to engage in a lot of cover ups, fear mongering, money spent on PR, and a lot of resume building as they build their private brands while running the closest thing we have left of a publicly funded hospital in Minneapolis. The healthy equity department recently spent $575 a pop nominating six of themselves for DEI awards through Fierce Healthcare. That’s $3,450 at a time when all these leaders are simultaneously emailing staff about the need to downsize staff.

One of the main problems here is that when there is an issue of harassment and discrimination that takes places at HCMC, you are referred to do three things: talk to the Health Equity Department, report this to an email “dedicated to reporting harassments”, and reach out to HR. The problem is that Talee Vang and Nneka Sederstrom are the humans behind the department, the email, or in the case of HR, puppeteering the head of HR, Sean Tolefree. What Sean Tolefree has been doing is protecting the executive leadership team from legal battles, even at the expense of allowing and executing harassment, discrimination, and retaliation on their behalf. Ironically this is all from black and brown folks who, at least when it benefits them, allegedly stand for equity. It’s all very authoritarian and common in competitive healthcare settings.

What’s heartbreaking about this is all of the lateral/horizontal violence, women of color are experiencing at the expense of their brand building. It’s particularly gross when your harassment is coming from someone who looks like you, and— who is supposed to help protect you. The saying, “not all skin folk are kinfolk” rings true when folks in equity departments are getting paid $500,000+ a year, creating very cutthroat and hierarchical environments, incentivizing bullying, competition and performative equity over real equity work that we actually desperately need at this time.

Travaini, Flutti, and Sottocornola (2024) describe horizontal violence as,“violence caused by the operators of the organization itself, such as colleagues or superior” and that,

Enough already! What can we do? Ok. Do something about it! Talk about it! If you know someone who has experienced this harassment at Hennepin Healthcare/HCMC, have them reach out to the civil rights lawyer, Sellano L. Simmons. In these large institutions who really only care about what they look like, you also have to go to the press. When the public starts to care, the pressure is on, because we fund these places. We have to keep the pressure on, and take care of ourselves and each other in the time that it takes for the truth to surface. We have to be brave! Identify the people who can speak publicly, identify the other roles folks can take who can’t speak publicly. Consult with organizers, and get to work.

*Tickets STILL AVAILABLE for Watching LIVE VIRTUALLY! $10-30.

The link to watch the show online will be emailed to you 48 hours in advance of the show!

*IN-PERSON Tickets are SOLD OUT

Damn, we sold out in ten days for in-person tickets! Please spread the word that VIRTUAL tickets are still available. We would love to pack the VIRTUAL space! Can’t come but want to support our gofundme? Donate here! We believe culturally-informed somatic healing should be accessible for all, and we need your help to make it possible. We are independent, Asian, queer, women, and GNC small business owners investing in community wellness models and collective resource sharing. Donate to our fundraiser to support our efforts to keep our healing work accessible to everyone, especially BIPOC/Queer/Trans/Immigrants/Low Income people. We offer sliding scale and negotiated prices to make this possible.

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OTR/L, BA, MHP, LMT,
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I offer trauma informed somatic therapy, craniosacral therapy, Swedish massage, Thai bodywork, myofascial release, group workshops, and healing through art, play, and connecting to nature. Free 15 minute consultations can be booked on my website if you’re intrigued or have questions.

Tree Climbing Workshops With WTCW​​

• September 12-14 - Massachusetts - Open to all - Register

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• 2026

  • July 11-13, 2026 - Rockhurst University, Missouri 

Community Events

Buy your tickets to this show on Thursday! There will be lots of singing. This queer friendship duo is on tour is coming to the Parkway Theatre. Jane is the newest member to SNL and our local claim to fame is that Liva Pierce is cousins with our very own artist extraordinaire, Nell Pierce. $25 tickets.

There are movies and music every day in our gorgeous Minneapolis Parks. Check the schedule here. They are free! They are mosquito full at times so bring your spray, some blankets, and of course, a picnic. Unless, you plan to eat at the food trucks they have there!

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xoxo Eiko