The Story



We are All Antarctica is a story about my father George W. Gibbs, Jr’s adventures as the first person of African descent to set foot on the continent of Antarctica. He sailed on the famous ship the USS Bear in 1939 to 1941 on Admiral Byrd’s III expedition to the South Pole. It was the first joint venture with the US military and private exploration. Gibbs went on to serve humanity in countless ways, paving the way for not only people of color in the community of Rochester, MN but for all people to become more human, serve their community and appreciate differences.

Through compassion, tenacity, faith and countless hours in the trenches, Gibbs’ life is a model for community service, equality and fun. As the lowest rank on the ship, he was honored for his contribution at a time when people with dark skin were considered less than human.

This story integrates my experiences with natural healing, the arts, the science of the ice, the metaphysics of the South Pole and the history of the expedition and its mystery.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

You've Heard of Microagressions, No? It Started in Antarctica!

Charles M. Pierce, a brilliant, All-American ( quote from Paul Dalrymple) hero introduced the concept of microaggressions, from his collaboratively research on extreme conditions at the South Pole.  This research was published from 1968-1990 that might also be applied to space travel.

Dr. Pierce, a Harvard medical school graduate, was a true renaissance man.  From football, to film,
to medicine, to research, he is also remembered for his attention to stress, race and class.  As I read bios, interviews and wikipedia about Dr. Pierce, most fail to show the origin of his research on microaggression: "small acts, almost innocuous in themselves, that in aggregate can undermine self-esteem and destroy relationships".  Quote from Paul Dalrymple www.antarctican.org.

Since there are many tensions and aggressions before and during this election season, I think it's important to get as many facts correctly as possible.

I share Charles M. Pierce (3/4/29-9/20/16 RIP), and this little known connection with polar research as a count down to what would have been George W. Gibbs, Jr,'s 100th birthday coming up 11/7/16.



Post Script:  I'm published in Management and Leadership Skills for Medical Faculty. My chapter is "Navigating Conflict". I wish I had known more about microaggression and Dr. Pierce's work last year!  http://www.mettasolutions.com/best-leadership-book-for-medical-faculty/
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