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The actions by KPSOM have been so disheartening and terrifying as a medical student. A lot of people may have a perception, with the increased visibility of the BLM protests, and more initiatives to increase diversity in medicine, that there have been substantial changes 1/10 https://twitter.com/ayshakhoury/status/1344814971213938688
in eliminating racism in medicine. While I’m sure there are places making the necessary changes, this outcome by KPSOM is the one I always worry about.
A lot of people and institutions will openly say they are against racism and will work on eliminating it because it’s 2/10
A lot of people and institutions will openly say they are against racism and will work on eliminating it because it’s 2/10
the "right thing to do", of course. Why would they ever be against that? But as a lot of black people have learned over the years, they really only embrace the “idea” of anti-racism, as opposed to the actual concept 3/10
Because when it comes to actually eliminate racism, a lot of these people/institutions are truly unprepared. It takes a lot of work to rectify, and they weren’t actually willing to put in the amount of effort needed to solve the problems 4/10
I also feel like a huge hurdle is that they aren’t ready for is that they will get very uncomfortable. White supremacy is so ingrained in our culture and practices that so many facets feel like the "right" way to operate, and saying otherwise feels like an attack on them 5/10
When confronted with how it is hurting others and what needed to be done to fix it, they push back, because the concept unsettles them and makes them feel uneasy, and they lash out against those speaking against racism to stop that feeling 6/10
And that is alarming. Just because some at KPSOM were uncomfortable with a topic they "supported" and even encouraged discussion about, they would retaliate like this to one of their educators. Now imagine how other black staff, med students, and patients are treated 7/10
These same places will continue to spout their mission statements regarding diversity and inclusion, while those caught in the crossfire will know it’s all empty promises 8/10
I’m still trying to process this. I'm so sad and furious that @ayshakhoury would be treated like this, after putting herself through all that emotional work of teaching about racial disparities in health care, only to be treated with hostility by her institution 9/10
I just want to extend my support to Dr. Khoury, and implore everyone to look into whether your actions against racism are truly matching your words. Because we will see, and act accordingly 10/10
