Dear current and future healthcare providers,Hope this message finds you well. Many of us are still mourning the tragic death of Stephon Clark, 22-year-old unarmed black man shot and killed by the police in his grandmother’s backyard. This event is tragic and unacceptable, and yet the story is all-too familiar. Stephon Clark joins an ever-growing litany of black lives ended by police violence. The White House thinks this is a “local matter”, but we disagree. This is a national public health crisis.
We are calling on all medical and nursing schools across the nation to join us on April 17th, 2018 at 12pm as we hold a National White Coats for Black Lives die-in demonstration.
It is our duty as future health professionals to use our platform to amplify the voice of our community. We cannot keep ignoring the institutional racism upon which our nation was founded and which persists up to this day. We cannot overlook the racial disparities present in communities of color. We will not remain silent as communities become unhinged by continued violence and persecution. These injustices affect communities at large and increase physical and mental illness burdens in these communities. We have to do more.
Our demands are clear. We stand in solidarity with all the victims of police violence. We demand justice for the victims and police accountability. We urge our own healthcare institutions to increase mental health resources and provide trauma-informed care to afflicted communities.
If you agree with the aforementioned, please join us for our national die-in! This is a google folder with more resources. In it, you will find the following:
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If you agree with our demands, please sign your name on our petition.
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If you would like to do a demonstration at your school, please register your school here.
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Our action guide should help make planning for this event easy and consistent.
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The google folder also includes our flyer, media advisory, fact sheet on structural racism, Op Ed guide, and press release (TBA).
Please share our FB event page with all of your peers.
For any questions, please contact wc4blucd@gmail.com. As the nation watches, let us stand firm with our community.
In solidarity,
UC Davis School of Medicine – White Coats 4 Black Lives Chapter