Dear University of Arizona Health Sciences community,
As we witness in horror and profound sadness the abhorrent brutality resulting in the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and the racist killing of Ahmaud Arbery, our thoughts of sympathy and fellowship go to their family and loved ones, and by extension to the broader African American community and all individuals who have lived inequalities and other forms of injustice.
These killings are the most recent and graphic illustration of the tragic consequences of racism and social disparities we sadly witness routinely as health professionals. We feel the echo of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shoking and inhumane.”
We at The University of Arizona Health Sciences emphatically reject racism and other forms of injustice. We value and pursue a climate of equity and inclusion that is embraced and championed by all. Our UAHS Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion works to intentionally with our health sciences community to address disparities in health, care access and quality of service for the people of Arizona and beyond (see 2019 efforts). The efforts illustrated are in partnership with leaners, staff, faculty, and leaders from our member colleges, centers, and community organizations and individual partners, and according to our mission statement:
“At UAHS we understand that there are multiple pathways to excellence and recognize that diverse environments provide greater opportunities for teaching, learning, and discovery that more homogenous environments do not provide. As a public land-grant institution, we have a unique responsibility to serve all people in our state; this includes educating a health workforce that can serve our diverse populations and conducting research that addresses their unique health challenges.
Given these values, we strive to create a climate where engagement, equity, and inclusion are practiced and valued by all. All stakeholders (i.e., learners, faculty, staff, community members and partners) have a shared responsibility to promote diversity as a core commitment and strategic element of our ongoing pursuit of excellence. UAHS will become an exemplary leader in creating an inclusive and welcoming environment wherein everyone can learn, develop, innovate and flourish.”
UAHS EDI site has a variety of support and wellness resources available to members of our campus community.
Below we include helpful insight development and anti-racism resources to enhance our ability to become successful “Allies”.
Selected Resources:
Implicit Association Test. Harvard’s project implicit offers private on-line tests that help our awareness of unconscious biases. Please take the Race IAT and others if you can.
Recognizing microaggressions and the messages they send. Nice tool summarizing common examples of microaggressions and their messages, conceptualized by theme.
Guidelines for effective White caucuses. Nice practical exercises like questions for introspection on privilege and race relations, qualities and expectations of a good Ally,
75 things White people can do for racial justice. Comprehensive list of materials to read, view, share, as well as conversations that can help us re-learn and revise intrinsic colonist knowledge.
ANTI-RACISM RESOURCES. A large and evolving curated list of antiracism resources.
Racism in Medicine and Healthcare. This guide is intended to be a resource and introduction to the intersection of racism and healthcare.
Anti-Racism Resources for Students and Professionals in Healthcare