Black Lives Matter Resources

BioAims Resource Guide

Full SUMMA Statement with Resources Links

Resources from Incoming Class of 2020

Call to Action: Engage with these Resources 

Read (Articles)
The Case for Reparations / Ta-Nehisi Coates 2014 (Atlantic)
Bryan Stevenson on the frustration behind the George Floyd protests / 2020 (The New Yorker)
The American Nightmare / Ibram X. Kendi 2020 (Atlantic) 
When White Feminism is White Supremacy in Heels / Rachel Cargle 2018 (Harper's Bazaar)
Listen (Podcasts)
1619 (any episode - you pick!) / The New York Times 2019
Watch (Speakers/Seminars)
Black Feminism and the movement for Black Lives / National LGBTQ Task Force 2016
Watch (Films and Shows)
13th / Ava Duvernay 2016 (Netflix)
Just Mercy / Destin Daniel Cretton 2019 (free to rent online from Warner Bros)
The Hate U Give / George Tillman Jr 2018 (Hulu)
When They See Us / Ava Duvernay 2019 (Netflix)

 

SUMMA Statement 

SUMMA Statement on Racial Injustice: Black Lives Matter 

 

Stanford Medicine Community,

 

BLACK LIVES MATTER. The Stanford University Minority Medical Alliance (SUMMA) condemns the police murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and the lynching of Ahmaud Arbery. White supremacy is deeply entrenched in the history and institutions of this country, including in medicine. The trauma and pain of our country’s systematic and unjust persecution of Black people cannot be ignored.  As future physicians and physician assistants (PAs), we understand part of our vocation is to reform the systems that kill Black people. 

 

We stand in solidarity with demands for police and prison reform and abolition. Police are more likely to stop and search Black drivers relative to white drivers, Black men and women are more likely to be killed by police officers than white men and women, and Black women are significantly more likely to be sexually assaulted by police. Police killings ripple through Black communities in the form of adverse mental health outcomes. In 2019, police violence was the 6th leading cause of death for young Black men. This must end.

 

For too long we have known that Black people bear a disproportionate burden of disease, injury and disability, driven by inequitable access to quality healthcare. Black women in the U.S. are 2 to 6 times more likely to die of complications of pregnancy, depending on where they live.  And currently, black communities are facing a disproportionate impact from COVID-19. It is time Stanford Medical School commits to addressing these issues.

 

We call for Stanford School of Medicine to: 

1. Include systemic models for social determinants of health, implicit bias, and health disparities throughout our curriculum, with specific focus on Black health disparities.

2. Admit more Black medical and PA students, and ensure an environment where Black students are included, welcomed, and valued.

3. Hire and retain more Black faculty, and ensure fair access to opportunities for promotion, leadership and tenure. Currently, only 2.2% of Stanford faculty identify as Black.

4. Institute regular, rigorous implicit bias and anti-racism training for all faculty and clinical preceptors.

5. Provide free, easily-accessible COVID-19 testing to protestors.

6. Publicly condemn the use of force by police.

 

Our coalition of underrepresented groups would not exist without the pioneering work of Stanford’s Black medical students in the SNMA. You stood for us. We stand with you. We call to the Black members of our community: we see your pain. We see the work you have done--not just this week but in so many other moments during your time here. Your efforts to center classroom dialogue on social determinants of health as vital rather than elective knowledge; to bring light to the insidious effects of racism in medical education and practice; to affirm your place in an institution with leadership that does not reflect your identities. We hope you are taking every measure to take care of yourselves and your loved ones, and to protect your well-being. You are vital to our community; your health and happiness are non-negotiable. We are here for you, to stand in solidarity and to advocate for your needs. Please know that we will fight alongside you in this time and at every point moving forward. We are ready and willing to support you in any way you may need. 

 

To the non-Black members of our community: this moment demands your action. It is time to step forward and speak up. To those of you already engaged, we encourage you to continue demanding anti-racist practices in all of your roles. Remember that racism is not a one-off event--your sustained engagement, action and resistance is needed, beyond the current moment. To those of you who are not yet engaged, the time is now. We provided a list of links below, to help you learn and mobilize. We urge you not to ask for more labor from the Black members in our community to educate you or to guide you on how to help. The resources are available to you: read, listen, discuss with other allies, get comfortable with discomfort, and mobilize. Decenter your voices and amplify those of our Black colleagues. Donate if you have the means - a list of funds is also bulleted below.

 

In this difficult time, we also want to affirm that we stand in solidarity with our colleagues at the Stanford Law School and Black Law Students Association in condemning the use of racist and dehumanizing language in the classroom. We unequivocally denounce the use of the N word by non-Black professors. Always. Non-negotiably. Independent of context. And particularly so in this moment of pain and injustice. The classroom should never be a place where those harms are perpetuated. 

 

A truly inclusive Stanford is one in which Black students can live and learn without the undue stress of marginalization and racism being instigated by other members of our community, especially its leadership. Both overt racism, and the microaggressions that infiltrate our classrooms, hospitals, and living spaces, threaten this possibility. Let us follow the Black activists and leaders who have been building towards this future for years - the health of our community is on the line. BLACK LIVES MATTER.

 

In solidarity and power,

SUMMA Board 2018-2019

SUMMA Board 2019-2020

SUMMA Board 2020-2021 

Co-Signed By All SUMMA Member Organizations: 

Student National Medical Association (SNMA)

Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA)

Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA)

LGBTQMeds

Medical Students with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses (MSDCI)

Stanford American Indigenous Medical Students (SAIMS)

Stanford Muslim Medical Association (SMMA)

 

Compiled List of Opportunities to Learn, Donate and Get Involved

Resources (courtesy of Stanford ASSU)

 

Educational resources for anti-racism:

 

Donate to the following organizations:

  • List of bail funds by city: Bail funds are a way to support frontline protesters who are being arrested - as well as building towards a movement to end cash bail and free hundreds of thousands of people who are in pre-trial detention during a pandemic.

  • NorthStar Health Collective: NorthStar is a Minnesota-based street medic collective, offering first aid and medical support to people on the frontlines right now.

  • Reclaim the Block: Reclaim the Block is a Minneapolis community org providing supplies and support to protesters, as well as pushing Minneapolis to spend less on policing and more on healthcare, housing and education.

  • The Black Visions Collective and Legal Fund: Black Visions Collective, a Black, trans and queer-led organization, is helping lead the protests and advocating to defund the police in Minnesota. 

  • Rebuild Lake Street: Lake Street Council is donating 100% of these proceeds to the local business and nonprofits affected by the fires and helping them continue to serve their communities.

 

Tips for protesting safely (courtesy of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez)

  1. LOOK OUT FOR THINGS THAT DON’T SEEM RIGHT. There are increasing reports and investigations that white supremacists may be infiltrating these protests, breaking windows and destroying property. If anything seems off to you, DOCUMENT IT. Always check who is organizing.

  2. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS OF GRASSROOTS BLACK ORGANIZERS. They have been at this a long time and are disciplined in the ropes of community organizing and demonstration. It IS a discipline. Follow trusted leaders whose goal has been the focused pursuit of justice. If they just showed up, that’s a red flag.

  3. HAVE A BUDDY. Make sure someone is keeping an eye on you and check in on them.

  4. PROTECT YOURSELF. Wear a mask - we are still in the midst of a pandemic. Turn off your phone’s Face/Touch ID and turn on airplane mode. Here’s an extensive guide on how to protest safely from Vice.

  5. STAY SAFE and take care of each other!

Additional Tips

  1. If you are inclined to take photos during the protest, please take caution to blur out faces and remove identifying information (ex., tattoos). Facial recognition has been used in the past to go after protestors, so this is an essential precaution in protecting yourselves and others. 

  2. To avoid including meta-data with photos, take screenshots of your photos and post those instead of the originals. 

  3. Have essential phone numbers written on your person in case of arrest. Call the Bay Area National Lawyers Guild at 415-285-1011 if you have been arrested and are waiting at a local jail. If you have not been arrested but need legal support for any reason, call 415-909-4NLG.