Zomi Bloom

Lately, we’ve become increasingly afraid of talking about things that are political. A glaring problem with this is that we are now avoiding topics that impact human rights, health care, diversity, and our freedoms as Americans. It’s one thing to avoid bickering at a family dinner about how one politician made a mistake or how another seems better equipped to handle foreign affairs. It’s a whole other thing to avoid talking about how policy and rhetoric are harming or helping people.

I was attending a conference in Atlanta that brought together groups from around the country who had been awarded Health Resources and Services Administration Rural Health Network Development grants. A fellow awardee told me, “You know how when someone in our community gets a cancer diagnosis, everyone rallies around them, calls, offers support, brings food over? But when someone has a substance addiction, they are shamed and avoided?

In September of 2023, the Duluth News Tribune published my opinion piece: Those with substance-use disorders need support without judgment. I'm including a visual of the piece here. Substance misuse in our communities is here and real. Avoiding the topic or couching these challenges in shame and stigma hurts rather than helps. Supporting families with love leads to healing.