American University of the Caribbean has committed to setting a vision and associated commitment to action for addressing racism and fighting for social justice. We believe racism is a public health crisis which must be addressed. Our TEACH values (teamwork, energy, accountability, community and heart) will be our guide as we embark on this first step in a long journey.
In order to ensure that we address our internal environment as well as align to address the external conditions that we can influence, we are making the following commitments:
By Listening: We will create safe spaces for sharing, listening and engaging in uncomfortable conversations;
By Learning: We will confront racism and unconscious bias to address and fight for social justice within our institutions through formal and informal training;
By Studying: We will review our academic and non-academic experiences in our institutions, to ensure we are training and graduating healthcare professionals that will be a positive influence in the communities they serve with ethnic and racial sensitivity;
By Acting: We will empower our diversity and inclusion committees and other internal organizational groups with time and resources, and then act upon their collective recommendations.
By Increasing Diversity: We will further invest in expanding the diversity of our student body, faculty and colleagues therefore expanding diversity in the medical, healthcare workforce;
By Rooting Out Systemic Bias: We will continuously review the components of our educational programs, systems and processes to ensure that we are addressing any systemic bias within our institutions;
By Communicating: We will share our action plans and progress while also leveraging our platform to inspire external change; and
By Partnering: We will partner with organizations that share our values so we can collectively address this public health crisis and influence the healthcare industry, the professions of our students and alumni, and the communities in which we live and work.
We will continue to hold ourselves and our organization accountable to our mission as well as to these commitments to fight against systemic racism and for social justice. Our intentions are sincere, and we will work in an open, collaborative manner. We also recognize that we will make mistakes and will need to make adjustments along the way.
We invite each of you into the dialogue and welcome your stories. We look forward to you joining us on this journey.