Dear Community,
On behalf of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Washington University in St. Louis, we condemn the murders in Atlanta of eight people, six of whom were Asian women. We are horrified by this senseless loss of life. We further denounce the continued gun violence and too frequent mass shootings that are unnecessarily becoming commonplace in the United States. Gun violence is a public health crisis.
We condemn the anti-immigrant xenophobia that has always harmed the AAPI communities, but has now been fueled by hurtful rhetoric surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and ignited an increase in violent attacks. We also recognize the intersection of racism and sexism that aims a disproportionate arrow of violence toward Asian women. Furthermore, we stand united against the increase in anti-Asian racism and intersections with xenophobia, sexism, homophobia and transphobia.
We acknowledge the pain and trauma AAPI endure, not just recently, but throughout the history of this country. We denounce silence and support the reporting of incidents of hate, violence, and discrimination. Along with our University leaders, we stand in support of everyone impacted and encourage the use of the additional resources available to everyone at our institution.
It is not enough to condemn. Our department is committed to collective change. We are actively working towards more inclusion, diversity, equity, and advancement in the Department of OB/GYN and at Washington University School of Medicine.
#StopAAPIHate
In solidarity,
Dineo Khabele, MD
Mitchell & Elaine Yanow Professor and Chair
Washington University School of Medicine
Co-created with members of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology:
Vinita Alexander, MD
Kelly Ball, MSN, RN, WHNP-BC
Ebony B. Carter, MD, MPH
Carla Chung, RN, BSN, C-EFM
Jeffrey Dicke, MD
David Eisenberg, MD, MPH
Katherine C. Fuh, MD, PhD
Diana L. Gray, MD
Regina Huang, MS
Jeannie Kelly, MD, MS
Marcy Livingston
Caitlin Martin, MD, MS
Caroline Min, MD
Jane Muckerman, RN, BSN
Megan Oakes, MD
Kenan R. Omurtag, MD
Dana Schull
Abigail Zamorano, MD, MPHS
Fan Zhang, MD, MS