Dear Colleagues & Friends:
This morning, I received an announcement from Susan Fahrbach, Ph.D., Professor & Chair of Biology at WFU that strongly resonated with me, and I would like to share some of her words with all of you. You can find her original statement to the Department of Biology at https://biology.wfu.edu/stand-against-racism/.
I know you have already seen the statements from Julie Freischlag and possibly from Nathan Hatch on the need for Wake Forest Baptist Health and for the Wake Forest University community to stand against racism. As Director of the Center for Precision Medicine, I don’t imagine that I can speak for all members of the Center. But I don’t feel that it is a time to stay silent. The historian Ibram X. Kendi, Professor at American University, argued in his 2019 book How to Be an Antiracist that the statement “I’m not a racist” is a term of denial. He wrote:
"One either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial inequities, as an antiracist.”
This moment in U.S. history is challenging for all, but with this e-mail I want to acknowledge that these times are particularly challenging for our black friends, colleagues, and students and also that for them, the challenge is not new, but ongoing.
I know that many members of the Center belong to scientific societies that are providing resources on antiracism, but if you need a place to start, I recommend a list you can find here:
Also, the following article, written in 2017, is still important, and provides guidance in our challenging times:
https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234
As Dr. Freischlag wrote yesterday, "Inclusion and equity are a priority at Wake Forest Baptist Health. We completed our Year of Inclusion, but our work is not done. We continue to build our resources, tools, research and teaching to support inclusion. We are committed to this work and stand by our Black/African American community.”
In that spirit, stay safe, everyone.
Michael Olivier, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Precision Medicine