I am saddened and deeply troubled by the events in our Nation’s Capitol on Wednesday. Health Outreach Partners condemns these acts of violence and insurrection led by white nationalist groups and other extremists. They acted with total disregard for the law and the will of the people of the United States to use their voice for a free and fair election. They must be held accountable, arrested, and tried by the very systems they blatantly undermined.
While the acts of this large group of individuals is horrifying, more so is the failure of our leadership to protect our country and our democracy. The responsibility for this violence does not lie at the feet of one individual. This country was built on structures of racism that have perpetuated white supremacy, hate, and violence through our whole history. Wednesday’s actions are a symptom of structural racism further perpetuated by our current leadership. This violence was incited by the President and other leaders throughout our government, people who have taken an oath to uphold and protect the Constitution of the United States. They have supported this hateful rhetoric and have ignored the behavior and activities directly leading to the violence. These events also illustrated the two systems of law enforcement that the Black Lives Matters movement has been calling out, systems that have been allowed and accepted by our society and which remain unaddressed.
Our country is deeply divided and in the midst of a public health crisis, jeopardizing our future. Our problems are complex and there is no easy solution. It will not take one person, organization, or department to bring about changes or to solve these complex issues. There is a direct link, however, to our work at Health Outreach Partners to address inequities in health care and to work with our partners to advocate for sweeping change in health systems. This must happen across all sectors and be supported by leadership. We accept nothing less.
I remain steadfast and committed to fight for equitable healthcare for all. Health Outreach Partners will continue to stay focused on our work to address and dismantle the systems that have kept people poor and sick. We will continue to advocate and support policies that dismantle structural racism and promote healthy communities. I am reminded this week of my favorite college professor Angela Davis, who opened my eyes to the racist systems in America’s health care system back in 1987 and inspired my career. I will leave you with her words.
“In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist. We must be anti-racist”.
– Angela Davis
Cindy Selmi, Executive Director