Dakota Child and Family Clinic Statement of Solidarity
Dakota Child and Family Clinic serves vulnerable communities, those most likely to feel the full weight of institutional systems of oppression. The CDC has finally recognized the severe and pervasive health effects of racism and inequality https://www.cdc.gov/minorityhealth/racism-disparities/index.html. We see firsthand in our patients and families, the history and trauma of this oppression physically manifested in the health disparities in our communities of color – in our indigenous, refugee, and immigrant communities. We feel the fear and suspicion these communities rightly have of organized social services and health care.
The killing of and pervasive injustice that Black people experience at the hands of these systems is unconscionable. The silence around the disappearance of Indigenous women is unconscionable. The fear and “othering” that presses down on families of color who fled their homelands to seek the “American Dream” is unconscionable. The challenges that intensify among the trans and queer members of all these communities is abhorrent. Every day there are more names added to the lists of martyrs for justice. Many of these names are never heard beyond the circles of families and friends.
We recognize our privilege and our responsibility to employ that privilege to support the healing of mental and physical trauma caused directly by the racist systems, policies, and attitudes that continue to contribute to the lethal oppression of communities of color. We condemn the ideas of white supremacy and national supremacy. Black Lives Matter.
Dakota Child and Family Clinic, the Board of Directors, the practitioners, and the staff commit to supporting the victims of these historic and contemporary atrocities by breaking down barriers to compassionate health care. We commit to the following:
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- providing a safe and supportive environment for all
- pushing for reform, open inclusion in health care
- demanding justice for communities of color
- transparency – examining our own policies and practices to eliminate those that perpetuate racism, rebuilding them with community input
- lifting up communities of color through our hiring and training processes
- Finally, we commit to listening to our communities, to learn from their lived experiences.
We stand and raise our voices, our fists in solidarity with Black, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, LatinX, Muslim, Jewish, and Trans communities. There is NO place for the oppressive shadow of hate in America. Together we will light the way to a just future.