UC IPM agrees that Black lives matter, and that we must act now to end the systemic racism that allows police violence to take Black lives, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Stephon Clark, Darell Richards, Marshall Miles, Joseph Mann, Atatiana Jefferson, Sandra Bland, and countless others.
UC IPM can do more to embody equity. We will strive to better serve our Black clientele and colleagues. In our mission to serve all Californians there is room for improvement in how we address the unique circumstances and systemic oppression facing the Black community, as well as Indigenous people and other marginalized groups.
We must start the conversation. We must ask the people around us about the actions they are taking. As a first step, a group of us discussed specific items to take action at our annual planning meeting in May. We'll be posting about our journey to address systemic racism, to hold ourselves accountable for our previous inaction. Listening. Unlearning. Doing the work.
As Desmond Tutu once said, “If you remain neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
