Dear Colleagues,

We write to you today as >>INSERT ORG-NAME HERE<< leaders to express, first, deep sadness, but also anger, regarding the racist incidents that continue to cut short the lives of Black people every day. Over the weekend, we witnessed another episode of police violence against a Black American. Jacob Blake was shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. We all hope for a quick recovery for Mr. Blake and that he and his family may heal and find peace after this horrific event.

The sadness comes from knowing that this is not a mere moment for our country. This is historical, lasting and persistent. Structures of power, deep-rooted histories of oppression, as well as prejudice, outright bigotry and hate, directly and personally affect the lives of millions of people in this nation every minute and every hour. Black people continue to live in fear for themselves, their children and their communities, at times in fear of the very systems and structures that are supposed to be in place to ensure safety and justice.

These deaths, along with the others that preceded it over the last several years and throughout U.S. history, launched national conversations about anti-Black racism. And we know that so many in our community keep asking how many times these conversations have to happen before there is real change. We know there are so many in our community who are hurting and deeply frustrated. These things are made worse by a pandemic that doesn’t allow us to be together and is disproportionately killing Black people. We have not been able to gather in some of the ways that usually unite us to build collective understanding, mourn and make calls for action.

We recognize that tragic and traumatic examples of injustice against racial, ethnic and religious minorities persist around the country and around the world, resulting in horrific instances of brutality, incarceration and death. We hope that wherever you may be, you seek to effect change in your communities in the ways that make sense for you while preserving your health and safety in this time of COVID-19. Our local and national government leaders need to hear from us as individual constituents in their communities consistently and persistently on issues of racial and ethnic injustice.

As a world class health care institution, we have tremendous resources in our departments, centers and institutes that can help our community and our society interrogate the persistent and deeply disturbing issues related to race, racism and police violence in America. In the weeks and months to come, we will leverage our expertise to develop programming and research opportunities designed to advance knowledge and promote essential change in policy and practice in the name of equity and justice.

We are a community that does not condone acts of racism, discrimination or violence. This cannot be accepted as “normal.” We must continue to demand equity and justice for all people, inclusive of all identities. And, we must continue to care for and support each other, especially in this time when we are apart.

Sincerely,

The>>INSERT ORG-NAME HERE<< Equity Team

Firstname Lastname, MD, MBA Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs Chief Medical Officer

Firstname Lastname, PhD Vice President, Employee Diversity, Inclusion and Experience

Firstname Lastname, MD, FNCS Interim Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for Faculty, Trainees and Students

Firstname Lastname, MPA Vice President, Community Health and Health Equity

Firstname Lastnamel, MD President