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Category: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 0

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

When I was elected to the ACOFP Board of Governors in 2013, I “diversified” our Board by being a 39-year-old white female. At that time and until now, there have only been five women elected as Governor to the ACOFP Board in its 70-year history. Similarly, there has only been a handful under the age of 40, much less anyone with three children under 10. At the time, my addition to the Board was significant for what it represented as a change in our specialty college’s future leadership. I realize now that it was just one minor step in the direction that was needed—not only for ACOFP but also for our profession, the patients we care for and our collective communities.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 1

Why Pride

A raid at the Stonewall Inn created momentum for the LGBTQI community, leading us to Pride Month, which is celebrated across the country in June of each year. During this month events and parades are held celebrating the LGBTQI community and the progressive changes of subsequent decades.

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The Racist Virus

We have a racist among us and it is not a person. It has no particular involvement with any political party. This racist has crept in an insinuated itself into our homes, our schools, our workplaces and where our most vulnerable live, like nursing homes. Health disparities can be caused by economic status, race, close living conditions, limited access to continuous health care, geography, lack of green space and a paucity of healthy food access.