As physicians and students of medicine, as citizens and residents of the United States, and as human beings, the American Medical Women’s Association is outraged and heartbroken by the brutal killing of Mr. George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police on Monday, May 25, 2020. This inexcusable and senseless tragedy should never have happened. It is yet another tragic example of how systemic racism and hatred allows the ongoing and centuries old dehumanization and brutalization of Black people. The murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia in February which only came to light when an eyewitness video surfaced earlier this month, the killing of Breonna Taylor by Louisville police in March, and the intentional victimization of Christian Cooper in Central Park last week when a woman deliberately weaponized skin color are further examples of the seemingly never ending pain and violence inflicted on Black people in this country. The American Medical Women’s Association calls upon every physician and student of medicine to stand united against all forms of racism and hatred publicly and privately, to speak out individually and collectively, and to actively become part of the solution. In particular, we call upon physicians and students who do not identify as BIPOC to participate in anti-racism work. We stand united against hatred, violence, and systemic racism, and we offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of Mr. Floyd, Mr. Arbery, and Ms. Taylor.
