âMind Bogglingâ and âDeadly.â This Is the Trump V.A.âs Racist Legacy.
âIt needs to be cleaned up right away,â one employee said. Will Denis McDonough, Bidenâs pick for V.A. secretary, help repair whatâs broken?
By Jasper Craven
Feb. 1, 2021
Secretary of Veterans Affairs nominee Denis McDonough.Credit...Pool photo by Sarah Silbiger
In May 2014, when retired U.S. Army Medical Service Corps Officer Nuwanna Franklin moved on from the Department of Defense to an administrative position at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Dublin, Ga., she envisioned a few years of rewarding work, and then retirement.
In her new role, Ms. Franklin received formal V.A. plaudits, thank-you notes from patients and other signs of gratitude from employees she advocated for as part of her role in the union. Yet she says the workplace was plagued by a pernicious and oppressive culture of prejudice â an environment in which she felt âyou canât speak up if youâre Black.â