Why I Name Names

Sharisse Stephenson
Nov 12
2 min read

🔊 Because Silence Protects Systems, Not People

People often ask me why I name names — why I call out institutions and individuals when I talk about retaliation, denial, and systemic harm.

The answer is simple:

Because if we keep everything vague, nothing changes.

You can’t fix what you won’t name.

You can’t hold accountable what stays hidden.

And you can’t expect a culture of safety when everyone is afraid to say who caused the harm.

Why I Name Names

⚖️ Accountability Is Not Defamation

What I share are facts — documented, verifiable, and supported by records.

Emails, filings, motions, and rulings.

Naming the people and systems responsible isn’t personal.

It’s public accountability.

Because retaliation doesn’t happen in a vacuum — it happens through decisions made by people with titles, authority, and power who think they’ll never be named.

Until someone like me does.

🧠 Why It Matters

When institutions retaliate, they don’t just harm the target — they send a message to everyone watching.

Every physician, nurse, or employee sees it and learns:

“If you speak up, this could happen to you.”

That’s how cultures of silence survive.

But when we name names, we flip that message:

“If you retaliate, the world will know.”

That’s how cultures of accountability begin.

🔥 Naming Names Isn’t About Revenge — It’s About Reform

I don’t name names to destroy careers.

I name names to save patients, to protect workers, and to demand reform.

Because behind every corporate decision that silenced a whistleblower, there are real lives impacted — families, patients, and communities left behind.

The truth belongs to the public, not to the people who hide behind NDAs and press releases.