The following is a message from the SACE Office on injustice and racism.Ìý
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The Social Accountability and Community Engagement (SACE) Office of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences welcomed the McGill this week in response to the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the structural racism and inequities that exist everywhere.
The SACE Office stands in solidarity with Black communities in Quebec and around the world. With this message, we express our support in the fight against structural racism and injustice as an integral part of the Faculty’s mission and statement of social accountability. The SACE Office, made up of persons of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, acknowledges that the tragic events in Minneapolis remind us that the mission of the Faculty of Medicine is also to advance knowledge in the fight against structural inequities.
As members of the health professions and sciences, we need not look far to see the role that structural discrimination and inequities have on people’s lives. They reveal themselves in the disproportionately high suicide rates among First Nations and Inuit Youth, the disproportionately high rate of drowning among black youth, and in myriad other ways. We see inequities in how research is conducted and prioritized as well. Our hope is to open eyes to these realities, and our goal as a Faculty and SACE Office is to address the structural inequities head-on and to work together to dismantle them.
We stand in solidarity with colleagues in the Faculty of Medicine who identify as black, whether they be students, faculty members or administrative staff, and with all members of our diverse community. We also support efforts by members of the Faculty who do not identify as being black who seek to be allies.
If you are a student experiencing personal difficulties because of these events, please avail yourselves of resources in the WELL Office or the Dean of Students’ Office. Our SACE doors are always open as well.
Please stay well and healthy during these difficult times.
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Sincerely,
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Saleem Razack
Dr. Saleem Razack
Director,
Social Accountability and Community Engagement Office
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Pascale Caidor
Dr. Pascale Caidor
Diversity and Community Engagement Program Officer,
Social Accountability and Community Engagement Office