Salus Community Town Hall: Week of June 1st, 2020

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

Yesterday, our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee organized a Salus Community Town Hall meeting, where many of us heard, first-hand, the pain, anguish and hurt many of our students, faculty and staff of color have been enduring for most of their lives. The multiple events of the past few weeks have only served to bring these feelings to the forefront. I want to sincerely apologize for our tardiness in beginning to outwardly address these issues, thank all those who articulated their thoughts, for their candor, eloquence and trust in sharing their fears and anguish with us. 

One of my take-aways from yesterday’s meeting was that no matter what we believe, unless we’re walking in the shoes of those who have been faced with racism, bigotry and outright disrespect, there is no way to truly understand what that’s like. To that point, we collectively have a responsibility to learn as much as we can about racism and bigotry in America in order to be empathic, understanding and sensitive to the events and issues that affect our colleagues of color. Only then can we act to improve the current intolerable situation.

All of this is exacerbated by the stress and anxiety over COVID-19 as it remains a significant threat throughout our country. Aside from the unknowns surrounding this contagion, the pandemic has introduced limitations to daily social life, forced us into lengthy periods of isolation, and spurred concerns over financial matters. For those who have faced racially motivated violence and oppression, this state of stress is intensified.

So, how should the Salus Community react to the tragedy of George Floyd and to other horrific, race-related events that seem endemic in our fractured society today?   

We reject all forms of hatred, racism and violence. They run counter to the principles of all our faiths, to our sense of decency and to our system of democracy - and yet hatred, racism and violence have been unchecked throughout American history and continues today. But how should we react? What can we do if we want to end hatred, racism, violence and health access inequity? These are some of the questions that we need to be actively discussing among ourselves, in our classes and in our chatrooms.

I recognize we are not going to begin to solve the issue of racism on a national scale. But this work has to begin someplace. I have never walked in a store wondering what people were thinking of me because of the color of my skin.  Our Black and other colleagues of color live with this every day. We all need to openly discuss the perverse effects of racism and white supremacy, how it affects our colleagues, our patients and our friends. Now is the time, in the words of one of our colleagues, “to get uncomfortable” and begin to have those difficult conversations that will lead to a better understanding of the challenges our colleagues of color have faced every day of their lives. Not until we gain that courage to openly discuss this, gain a clearer understanding, and then begin to take action, will we be able to start to reshape our world.

Be safe, practice social distancing, wear a face covering when out in public and on campus and respect one another.

Mike