It Would Be Un-Minnesotan (and Un-Mayo) Not to Join This Cause

By In the Loop • February 1, 2016

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If you're reading this, you're probably Minnesotan. Or know a Minnesotan. Or at least know where Minnesota is on a map. Or, maybe you’re not from around here and just have a vague notion that Mayo Clinic has its roots in the North Star State. (It's OK, we Minnesotans have thick, if frost-bitten, skin.) The Land of 10,000 Lakes may be a bit frigid this time of year, but we'll go well out of our way (and uphill both ways) to show we're not cold-hearted.

We could go on about the kind of folks Minnesotans are, but there's a full-page ad in today's Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper that does it better. The ad, signed by John Noseworthy, M.D., Mayo Clinic's president and CEO, and many other business and civic leaders from throughout the state, is all about Minnesota values, tolerance and understanding, and supporting diversity to create a vibrant community. You might say it's about being Minnesotan.

The ad notes that "Up North," we're perhaps a "soft-spoken" bunch, but we're not inclined to "be silent or still in the face of bigotry." And despite the fact that we may be fond of "snow days," our values don't take days off. 

See the ad below:

"I was pleased to join other Minnesota civic and industry leaders in this important statement about the values we stand for here in Minnesota," says Dr. Noseworthy. "Mayo Clinic, from its very beginnings, has been a strong voice for tolerance, understanding and inclusion, both in our work with patients and in the community. We want every Minnesotan, as well as those who visit us, to know that they are welcome here and have our support."

Sharonne Hayes, M.D., director of Mayo's Office of Diversity and Inclusion, enthusiastically supports the effort. "Dr. Noseworthy’s message is a great affirmation of Mayo Clinic’s values, which really are the shared values of all of Minnesota: respect, compassion, integrity, healing, teamwork," she says. "It is wonderful to see these crystalized by the CEO of Mayo Clinic and leaders from around Minnesota – people who have tremendous power to set an example for employees, colleagues, neighbors, friends and family."

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