Here ’s What We’re Doing to Make IntraHealth the Antiracist Organization We Strive to Be

By Polly Dunford, President and Chief Executive OfficerJune 18, 2020Themurders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and other Black Americans—on top of generations of systemic oppression and trauma in the US—are unacceptable. They should not and cannot be normal. My colleagues at IntraHealth International and I are outraged and anguished. Most of all, we are determined to act.So we’re taking a good, hard look at ourselves. We’re an organization that’s committed to equality, equity, justice, and respect. We staunchly oppose racism. But we’re seeing that we have a long way to go toward becoming the antiracist organization we strive to be.A stronger, more antiracist organizationHere are some steps we’re taking:Right now, IntraHealth’s executive team and board of directors do not include any Black members. In fact, when I came onboard as president and CEO in March, I made IntraHealth’s leadership whiter. This must change. As we compile a list of candidates who might fill the two vacant seats on our board, we’re making racial diversity a critical element of our search, because we know diversity drives innovation and leads to stronger organizations.We’re investing in educating our staff. As a start, we’re buying copies ofHow to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi for all US-based staff members. Over the longer term, we’ll be bringing in guest experts to train US staff on antiracism and improv...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: news