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June 2, 2020
A Letter of Solidarity from the Medical Student Senate,
Over the past few months, we have continued to witness brutal acts of violence against our black community with the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. The news of just one of these events is horrendous, but made worse with the knowledge that these are solely the events made widely public. We recognize that other acts of racism occur daily, and we are disturbed by how these events continue to happen, time and time again.
To our friends and colleagues who have to live each day in fear: we are behind you unequivocally. Through town halls, social media, and private conversations, we have begun to hear grieving and pain. We recognize that these events and this hatred continue to impact everyone, albeit differently, and want you to know that the Medical Student Senate body is here for you and stands in solidarity with you.
As future doctors, we are charged with the unique responsibility to improve the lives we touch through compassion and care. We have the power to create medical practices where discrimination has no place, but inclusion, respect and safety are the norm. Furthermore, it is our responsibility to acknowledge and actively address racism as a public health crisis. Thus, as physicians we must work to be actively anti-racist in all aspects of our lives. It falls on us to wage against unequal and unfair treatment of patients, classmates, teachers, family and friends. We can all work to do better, and we must.
There have been several resources circulating in the community to create awareness about racial injustices, highlighting ways in which we can all be allies, and turn words into actions by supporting various organizations and practicing our right to vote. We have linked one such resource, a link to the “Speak Up” Campaign at Emory created by our classmates Eman Hijab and Daeja Hamm, at the bottom of this email. We have also included a list of drop-in groups that Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is hosting below, as well as other resources on campus that you can use for emotional and mental support.
In addition to these resources, we wanted to make you aware of information regarding the #whitecoatsforblacklives exercise and Vigil of Solidarity in Remembrance of Victims of Racist Violence, both scheduled for this Friday, June 5, 2020 (information and zoom link provided below). We will continue to push for medical student-specific processing groups to occur in regular intervals and are actively collaborating on how we can further provide care and support for our student community. If you have any thoughts on how we can take action in this school and better direct help and support in tangible ways, please continue to let us know.
We encourage all those individuals in the Medical School to utilize these resources as well as your own as a means for continued support and solidarity. We implore you all to lean on one another – and your friends, families, and our Emory Administration – for support. If you are having difficulty navigating resources or are not getting the help that you feel you need, please know that you can reach out to Wesley Manz, me, or any MSS member at any time. The time is now for Emory Medical students to stand together, help each other, be compassionate with one another and, importantly, take action. We are committed to working with you and doing better in any way we can.
In Solidarity,
The Medical Student Senate
Devon Barrett
Wesley Manz
Molly Elson
Ben Magod
Bobby Ijeoma
Sean Evans
Charlie Marvil
Dylan Martini
Hayley Braun
Lauren Pinion
Amy Scheel
Arian Ghanouni
Eman Hijab
Arrix Ryce
Christine Bethencourt
Gilda Rastegar
Matt Brown
Oliver Lam
Emory Speak Up Campaign
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) - http://www.counseling.emory.edu/
- Drop-In Groups: No initial consultation/screening necessary. Groups include:
- Stress Clinic: Wednesdays, 11 AM-12 PM EST & Thursdays, 4-5 PM EST (students choose one day only and meet for three weeks)
- International Student Support Group: Thursdays, 11:30 AM-12:30 PM EST
- Black Graduate/Professional Student Support Group: Thursdays, 4-5 PM EST
- Mindfulness: Mondays, 11 AM-12 PM EST; Thursdays, 8:30-9:30 PM EST; Fridays, 2-3 PM EST
- Therapy Groups: Require initial consultation/screening. Current clients can speak to their provider for connection to the group.
- Graduate/Professional All Gender Interpersonal Process Group: Wednesdays, 11 AM EST
- Women’s Interpersonal Process Group: Tuesdays, 4 PM EST
- Grief & Loss Support Group: Thursdays, 4 PM EST
- MD & Health Sciences Interpersonal Process Group: Thursdays, 6 PM EST
- Healthy Healers Drop-In Workshop: Tips for Students in the Health Professions. No initial consultation/screening necessary. Open to all School of Medicine students. June 17, 6-7 PM EST.
#Whitecoatsforblacklives
- All are welcome to join medical students kneeling for 10 minutes in remembrance of George Floyd and countless others
- June 5th, 2020 at 1pm; Location TBA
Vigil of Solidarity in Remembrance of Victims of Racist Violence
- Friday, June 5, 2020, 4:00 p.m., via Zoom. For login information, please register here: https://bit.ly/ArberyVigil
Student Health Services (SHS) - http://studenthealth.emory.edu/index.html
Emory Office of Spiritual and Religious Life - http://www.religiouslife.emory.edu/
The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion- http://equityandinclusion.emory.edu
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