Just as we are coming to grapple with the unprecedented pandemic, and the economic aftermath, the events of the past few days have been heartbreaking.

The death of George Floyd—and the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and Breonna Taylor—were senseless. They were horrific acts of violence, one that we must all condemn. Unconscious and conscious racism and bigotry are far too prevalent in our society. But in my lifetime, seldom so openly, so raw, so blatant, so violent, and so gut wrenching a manner as in the past few weeks. The grief the country is feeling—the grief I feel—is immense.

The field of transplantation and cellular therapy celebrates diversity and inclusion, though we know access to care isn’t always equal. As health care providers our jobs are to provide care to those in need. We understand we have so much further to go to ensure those who need our care—especially those in the black and minority communities—are able to access it. But right now, our communities are crying out, our country is in turmoil. We need to stand up against racism and fight to dismantle it in whatever way we can. We as leaders in healthcare need to be vocal about why this is an important issue we need to salve and solve.

ASTCT is dedicated to supporting solutions and overcoming these issues, and wants to hear from you. We want to know how this is affecting you as an individual, your communities and how we can work together to promote racial equality and care. You can share with us at info@astct.org or if you are a member of this community you can get involved with our Women & URM Special Interest Group.

Racism and violence needs to end, and we need to be part of the solution.

Pavan Reddy, MD

Tags: presidents message, racism