A letter from the DOM Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council

*This message is being sent on behalf of David S. Stephens, MD and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council in the Department of Medicine

Dear colleagues,

We take great pride in our supportive, diverse, and dedicated community of faculty, staff, residents, and colleagues in the Department of Medicine. We have rallied admirably to care for our community and fight against a worldwide pandemic, and your participation in that effort has been nothing short of inspirational. To stand on the front lines of the destruction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has left many of us of feeling drained and scared. To compound our distress, recent events across the nation including the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people of color; the heinous killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd; and the subsequent images of riots and cities on fire across the country including our beloved Atlanta, has left many of us feeling completely overwhelmed with grief. All because of race and racism, and the fears of who will be its next victim. We give our all to our patients and colleagues every day but fear for our sons, daughters, spouses, friends, and neighbors constantly. In response to the images that we have seen, many of us have shared our distress, fear, and anxiety with close friends and family, social media posts, and other outlets. However, as members of the Department of Medicine and DEI council, we want to express that it is equally important to feel safe to share our collective outrage with each other.

The recent instances of use of excessive force by law enforcement, specifically in matters involving Black people, has amplified the distrust and anxiety between officials and the communities they have sworn to protect and serve. In this landscape of historical atrocities and structural racism, as well as the health disparities highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our patients are adding the physical and emotional toll of years of unequal treatment on top of the poor health that already plagues them. As healthcare professionals, we have also sworn to protect and serve. And although our patients may never explicitly voice their fears of unequal treatment to us, we must be mindful of those fears, and strive to make our healthcare space as safe for everyone as possible. The reaffirmation of those values feels more important now than ever before.

Our commitment to a safe, inclusive, and equitable environment that welcomes, celebrates, and elevates every one of us stands true now more than ever. For those of us who have never been a victim of racism and can only imagine what it must be like, we urge you to do just that—imagine it, recognize it, feel it, and then speak out loudly against it. Call it out when you see it. Offer support to your colleagues and patients. Silence is not acceptable anymore. Only with our collective voices can we begin to address this deep-seated societal pandemic of racism. We all must do more to end discrimination and create equity for all.

“There comes a time when silence is betrayal. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

In solidarity,

David S. Stephens, MD and the Diversity Equity Inclusion Council led by Jada Bussey-Jones, MD, and Kimberly Manning, MD

DEI Council Members:

Jessica Alvarez, PhD
John Otis-Blanding
Joanna Bonsall, MD, PhD
Jennifer Christie, MD
Jason Cobb, MD
Monica Farley, MD
Rita Frazier
Jenny Han, MD
Sonya Haw, MD
Tracey Henry, MD, MPH

Daniel Hunt, MD
Aaron Lee
Gina Lundberg, MD
Imran Iftikhar, MD
Alanna Morris, MD
Francois Rollin, MD
Michelle Sims, MD, MPH
Zirka Smith
Zanthia Wiley, MD
Sarah Wondmeneh, MD

Resources for Engaging in Anti-Racism Work and Practicing Solidarity

Resources for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) to Engage in Self-Care

The Emory University Department of Medicine is a component of the Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center of Emory University, which includes the Emory schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health; Yerkes National Primate Research Center; Winship Cancer Institute; and Emory Healthcare.