Our words as well as our actions are powerful. In the words of Maya Angelou, “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”
The CMSRU Office of Diversity and Community Affairs, in collaboration with the Center for Humanism, Professionalism, Medical Ethics, and Law, is soliciting stories from providers, nurses, staff, and students about racism in health care and our fight to create an anti-racist culture at Cooper and in our communities. These will be shared in a special issue of the Center for Humanism’s newsletter to be published this summer.
Please send us your reflections about your experiences advocating for health equity and racial justice, or experiences witnessing or experiencing racism and how it affected you. We are hoping for stories about personal experiences, not scientific articles for a medical journal. We want to hear about a moment that made you think differently about race and racism.
Possible ideas include:
– Describe an interaction with a patient or colleagues that was affected by race
– Describe an experience, a moment, or an interaction that was related to race or ethnicity
– Describe a moment when you did something hurtful to someone else because of their race, and what you learned from it
– Describe a moment where you learned about a new culture
- Describe how you felt learning about the anti-racism efforts of the last month
We welcome submissions both from our colleagues of color and allies. They can be about moments of sadness and hurt, or moments of joy and optimism. All reflections should be 300-500 words and must be in compliance with patient privacy laws. We are open to considering anonymous submissions. Please send submissions or questions by 7/17/20 to Dr. Mara Gordon at gordon-mara@cooperhealth.edu.