NWHSU Faculty Senate Issues Statement Regarding the Death of George Floyd
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was arrested by Minneapolis Police and died at the hands of four officers while in custody, igniting two weeks of protests across the United States over the systemic racism and violence that permeates many U.S. police departments.
The Northwestern Health Sciences University (NWHSU) Faculty Senate spoke out against both this injustice and the broader pattern of unfair treatment of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color by police departments nationwide. These patterns go against all our University values: accountability, collaboration, excellence, innovation, respect, and service.
“Because it is our mission to educate the next generation of health care providers and healers for our community, our state, and our nation, we are taking steps to renew our efforts to proactively educate ourselves regarding our unconscious biases,” says Deborah Bushway, Ph.D., president and CEO of Northwestern Health Sciences University. “This is mission critical for our institution and the people we serve.”
The statement affirms Northwestern Health Sciences University faculty members’ commitment to caring for the well-being of others, recognizing and respecting the individual needs of our patients, and creating a healthier world.
“As a health science university, we recognize that Black people, Indigenous people and people of color broadly, experience profound health disparities in our country…” says Mary M. Tuchscherer, D.C., Ph.D., professor and president of the NWHSU faculty senate. “As an integrative health institution, our mission is to model compassion and educate our students about racial health disparities, training them to offer excellent, respectful care to each of their patients and clients.”