Anti-Racism Statement

The Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education, Science, and Practice (MCH CoE) decries the brutal forces of racism that have borne down on Black people in the United States for centuries. The murder of Black men and women at the hands of White police officers and the systemic racism that underlies these horrid acts and the uprisings that rage, has gained center stage. The profound demonstration of disregard is astounding, yet played out in other contexts in highly visible and invisible ways every day. The disrespect of Black women in health care is rampant, and Black women and their infants pay dearly – with their very lives. The maternal and infant mortality crises rage on in our country, with Black mothers over 3 times and Black infants over 2 times more likely to die than their white counterparts. Surely, racism and the scaffolding of white supremacy IS a public health crisis.

Solutions must begin but not end where we each live and work and play. As we conduct the work of the MCH CoE, we commit to re-examine what we do and how we do it, with an eye toward calling out and ending racism in its subtle and not-so-subtle forms in our educational setting (and beyond). We are challenged by the calls for academic institutions to look deeply and climb out of racist ‘ways of doing’ and ‘ways of knowing’. Our programs and research engage us in health equity and anti-racism and require an even closer, sharper look at how to engage.

In all of our anti-racist activities, we welcome your ideas and feedback, always.

Anti-Racism Resources

  1. Boston University Center for Antiracist Research
  2. Boston University African American Studies – Statement on the Murder of George Floyd and the Ongoing Crises of State Violence
  3. Anti-Bias Education
  4. https://tinyurl.com/antiracismdocUW
  5. https://www.particlesforjustice.org/
  6. What too many white people still don’t understand about racism.
  7. How to talk to kids about racism, explained by a psychologist.
  8. 16 ways to help children become thoughtful, informed, and BRAVE about race
  9. From Othering to Belonging
  10. How Adults Can Support the Mental Health of Black Children
  11. Instances of racism add up. Here are 5 ways to cope. How to balance activism with your mental health
  12. The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth
  13. Antiracism Allyship Starter Pack
  14. Read: How to be Antiracist and other essential titles

Read, learn, dig, reflect, and discuss:

  1. Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad 
  2. Let’s Talk Race: A Guide for White People by Fern L. Johnson and Marlene G. Fine 
  3. My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem
  4. Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis
  5. Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde
  6. Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism by bell hooks
  7. We Live for the We: The Political Power of Black Motherhood by Dani McClain
  8. How to be an Antiracists by Ibram X Kendi
  9. So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo

Financially support and invest:

  1. Black Alliance for Just Immigration
  2. Color Of Change
  3. NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
  4. UndocuBlack Network
  5. National Bail Fund Network
  6. Loveland Foundation

Boston-Based (found here): 

  1. Black Lives Matter Boston
  2. Black-owned restaurants
  3. BAMS Fest
  4. Boston Bail Funds and Legal Assistance
  5. Boston Black Hospitality Coalition
  6. Families for Justice as Healing
  7. Lucy Parson’s Collective
  8. Massachusetts ACLU
  9. Stable Ground Boston

Other Resources

  1. Anti-racism Resources (from graduate students at the University of Washington School of Public Health)
  2. COVID-19 and Inequities CoE Resource Page