Making It Awkward
Making It Awkward
Jessica Wilson, MS RD
Bubonic and Iconic: Plague History--From Rodents to Racism with Dr. Bethany Johnson
45 minutes Posted Nov 6, 2025 at 11:25 am.
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Show notes

Dr. Bethany Johnson returns to the show to share the deep history of the plague, and how we should be thinking about it today. She talks about how anti-Chinese and anti-Mexican sentiment impacted the mitigation and spread of the plague in the early 1900s. Bethany also talks about how climate change may impact infectious disease, antibiotic resistance, lyme disease, pet safety, mitigation measures, and what the defunding of government organizations will mean for us.

She also has advice for all of those of us–and our dads out there–with wood piles in our backyard.

Plus a few updates about The Means Sibs.

Bethany's first episode on measles!

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Jessica Wilson's book: It's Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies

ABC News: Casey Means Senate statement

Breaking Big Food

Calley Means has left the White House

1630 plague

WHO Manual for plague surveillance, diagnosis, prevention and control

CDC page on plague

Traces of life in the death registries of the 1630 plague in Milano