The Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health stands in solidarity with those speaking out and protesting against systemic racism and affirming that Black Lives Matter in response to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others. The racism, discrimination, and injustice Black, Indigenous, and People of Color face daily must stop now.
Racism is a public health crisis with roots that were planted in America when European colonists invaded Indigenous lands over 400 years ago. This crisis has continued to fester throughout this nation’s history, evolving from the state sponsored enslavement of Black people to a criminal justice system that disregards the lives of Black communities. It is vital that we work to dismantle White supremacy and its negative impacts.
Our Center has the immense privilege of working with Native American peoples and learning from their traditional systems of governance and community values guiding life. It is inherent in our Center’s mission to promote equity, justice, and love for all—with special attention to the needs of Black communities.
We are committed to focusing our strengths and actions to elevate the voices of the historically overlooked, working with communities to design programs to advance the power of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, and advocating for more just and meaningful policies to promote human equity and environmental sustainability. We fully support the list of action items set forth by the National Congress of American Indians to immediately address the epidemic of violent white supremacy, and we call on our colleagues in public health to explore issues of racial justice and equity in their research and public health practice.
Together we are stronger. #BlackLivesMatter