Dear colleagues,
On June 3, 2020, the Royal College issued our public statement denouncing racism. This statement was made in response to the devastating impacts of anti-Black racism that we have seen over the last several weeks. Although these recent events have brought these issues into public discussion, we acknowledge that anti-Black racism and racism against all people of colour and Indigenous Peoples has been ongoing and pervasive and that many experience racialization on a daily basis.
For us, this statement was an important step; for many of you, it was a catalyst for an overdue discussion.
This statement sparked a dialogue and prompted feedback and questions.
While many of you reached out to express appreciation and/or pride that the Royal College had made a public statement, many of you also expressed frustration and challenged us to learn more about members who are Black, Indigenous or people of colour. Several of you also reached out to let us know the seriousness of the issue warranted a dedicated space, rather than a small entry in a larger email.
You are right.
Some members also expressed concern that we were making assumptions and felt that we were insensitive in stating that we all needed to do better. Still others felt we had stepped outside our mandate by issuing this statement.
This statement also prompted some of members who are Black, Indigenous or people of colour to share their personal experiences with me, from both residency and professional practice. These personal stories were extremely difficult to read. They were eye-opening and heartbreaking.
I would like to thank each and every one of you who reached out to share these stories and to speak with me personally about your experiences and your ideas for change. Thank you for creating this powerful dialogue.
We are listening.
What is the Royal College doing about racism?
Many of you asked what active steps we are taking to address systemic racism.
As I acknowledged earlier, making a public statement was an important step, but now the real work begins.
We are listening to understand. Working together, we will act.
We commit to listening to what Fellows, residents, students, volunteers and staff, who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour, are saying about their experiences.
We acknowledge that, throughout our 90-year history, the Royal College has been slow to respond to systemic racism and this is unacceptable. We will build on our work in advancing Indigenous health; a priority for more than a decade. We will do more.
Here are some specific steps we are taking to address systemic racism:
- First, we are looking within. By placing our initial focus on our staff and internal systems, we will identify and deepen our understanding of our own internal biases. This understanding will allow us to better serve you, Fellows, current and future.
- We are creating safe spaces to invite Royal College staff who are Black, Indigenous or people of colour to share their experiences to encourage learning and dialogue.
- We are gathering diverse input from across the organization on how we need to move forward and what our priorities should be.
- We are creating space to engage the voices of Fellows who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour – we need to hear from you. We are creating an advisory group comprising some members of colour, several of whom have already expressed interest in volunteering in this capacity.
- We are supporting ongoing education and awareness.
- We are committing to providing you with quarterly updates on what we have done and what we have learned.
We are continuing our work with Indigenous leaders to reshape the practice and attitudes of future specialist physicians and surgeons. This work falls under four key points, identified in our Indigenous Health Primer: self-determination and upholding Indigenous rights; anti-racist practice, cultural safety, trauma and violence-informed care; allyship; and respect for Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing.
As we begin this work, we will be guided by the following principles: we will be inclusive in how we identify and action our plans; we realize that this work may be uncomfortable for some and that’s okay; and we will be humble and appreciative of feedback.
We invite you to share your stories
We are grateful that some of you have already shared your stories about systemic racism with us but it’s important for your stories to be heard by all members so this important dialogue and learning continues. If you are comfortable sharing your experiences, I invite you to submit your story for inclusion in our Perspectives series. If you’d like to contribute, please email newsroom@royalcollege.ca.
As we begin our work by looking within our internal staff and systems, we also commit to sharing our progress and stories with you.
Next steps
As Lisa Richardson, MD, FRCPC, who is co-chair of the Indigenous Health PGME Implementation Steering Committee, succinctly stated in a recent tweet, “Learning to be antiracist is not an ‘attend a lecture, tick-a-box/task complete’ process. It is a commitment to deep listening, reading, awakening, reflecting, seeing, intervening, dismantling, reimagining, rebuilding… over the course of one’s entire lifetime.”
We know we have much yet to learn, and to do.
We realize that this will be a long process and we are just at the beginning stage. Please know that we are sincere about engaging with staff, volunteers, residents, students and Fellows as we transition from listening to planning and to action. I am personally committed to providing you with a quarterly update on our progress.
I look forward to hearing from you as we begin this important work together.
Until my next update, please take care.
Susan
Susan D. Moffatt-Bruce, MD, PhD, MBA, FACS, FRCSC
Chief Executive Officer
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