Women of Impact Statement on Racial Injustice and Solidarity
As women executives that represent all sectors of the healthcare industry, the Women of Impact stand together with our Black community in shock, mourning, and outrage of the killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis, of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, and of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia. Women of Impact believe Black Lives Matter. These acts of violence against black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) are unspeakable and yet all too common.
Women of Impact are in full solidarity with our Black community and commit to lifting up injustices, rooting out the origins of discrimination and racism, and focusing on healing.
Our Black friends, neighbors and colleagues are stereotyped, profiled, discriminated against, declared “guilty until proven innocent,” injured and killed. They are harassed, subjected to untold humiliations, indignities, injuries, and arrests. They live with the stress and constant fear for the safety of their children, especially their male family members. Over the past few months, these daily and historical injustices have been compounded by the excessive toll of COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on BIPOC communities. Their experiences in our health care systems have left many with profound distrust and a lack of engagement.
Enough is enough.
The Women of Impact are committed to fixing what is broken in health care and stand in solidarity against anti-blackness and injustice. We know the words that have contributed to what is broken: institutional, systemic, structural, implicit, discrimination, and racism. The recent events have starkly illuminated the urgency of addressing these. The question is, what are we going to do?
We can listen and learn, with renewed authenticity and intent to our BIPOC colleagues and friends about their experiences and follow their solutions on how to fix what is broken. Is this enough?
We can ensure there is diversity in leadership and support and promote Black women for leadership positions and in decision making roles; as it is our duty to challenge and reform our institutions as well as ourselves. Is this enough?
We can accelerate our efforts to insist that care be provided equally and with an inclusive lens, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or ability to pay, for any human who is in need. Is this enough?
We can elevate the systemic and systematic disparities in every discussion of “fixing what is broken.” Is this enough?
Women of Impact firmly believe that standing for what is right is the only healthy and moral human thing to do. We are committed to “fixing what is broken in health care.” Is this enough? We invite and welcome your thoughts.
“From my point of view, no label, no slogan, no party, no skin color,
and indeed no religion is more important than the human being.”
– James Baldwin