Voices of Solidarity: A Letter to the Downstate Administration by Students of Color

20 VOI CES OF SOLI DARITY A Call for Action

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Artwork by Mohamed Sylla

AN OPEN LETTER to SUNY Downstate Administration by Students of Color Respectfully to the leaders, administrators and faculty of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University: With the recent spotlight on SUNY Downstate we have been given a new platform and therefore a unique responsibility. The whole world is watching and listening, so, what do we have to say? This responsibility does not only extend within our hospital’s walls; it requires widespread aggressive action. It requires acknowledgement and rebuttal of the systemic causes of death that plague our community. The pandemic magnified the health disparities that minority communities and the disenfranchised in this country have endured for decades. Most recently, the nationally publicized deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd demonstrate the sobering reality that Black people continue to be brutalized and killed by our government. Unfortunately, these men only represent a minute fraction of the growing number of Black men, women, and children who have died as a result of racist policies.

As medical students of color, we are angry, we are tired, we are disheartened and ultimately disappointed. Not only because of the lack of respect that this country has for minorities, (more specifically Black men and women) but also because of the lack of acknowledgement of these atrocities by the Downstate administration, ESPECIALLY given the constituents we predominantly serve. If we as the Downstate community want to be leaders and the agents of change that this country so desperately needs, we cannot be afraid to speak up and speak out against such injustice.

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It is not simply the responsibility of Black organizations, or the minority students to have to bring these truths to light. All of Downstate should be willing to take a stand, because at its core, we as current and future healthcare providers aim to save lives, not overlook them.

We want to commend President Riley for his recent center-wide message of empathy, outrage, and understanding. This came at a time when many students were feeling helpless and in despair due to the silence from our institution. We thank President Riley for this act of recognition, and we want to join him in decrying the recent and frequent acts of violent prejudice at the hands of those who are most entrusted with the preservation of peace and justice. We, medical students of color, have ratified the following statement and recommendations: We encourage our faculty, who often email the entire campus to promote their projects, to use their platform to express outrage and solidarity in the face of the health disparities that have become so glaring in light of the ongoing pandemic.

We encourage our faculty to use their platform to express outrage and solidarity in the face of the ongoing policing crisis that has affected communities of color from our doorsteps and across the country.

We declare that increasing representation within the institution, both faculty and student body, is both just and necessary to address the local and national policies that propagate and reinforce health disparities in our own neighborhoods.

We urge the administration to implement policies that will diversify the student body and the academic faculty, to quantitatively mirror the brilliant diversity of this city and state.

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We assert that the disparity in COVID-19 outcomes reflect structural policy issues including access to health care, wage policy, housing policy, etc.

We would like to use these recent unfortunate events as an educational opportunity to discuss, unpack and challenge the current racist injustices and policies that exist both on a micro and macro level. As such, we request a large-scale zoom meeting to include the WHOLE Downstate student body and faculty to facilitate these tough but necessary discussions.

In the end, we as the students of color at Downstate need to know our administration supports us. Not simply because we have a “diverse” student body, but by showing us that in moments like these when we are rightfully hurting, saddened, fearful and disheartened that you are willing to rally around us and demonstrate that you care and support us. So, we challenge you to take a stand, show support and get the WHOLE Downstate community involved. It’s time to practice what you preach. We’re waiting and we’re listening. Until then.

Sincerely and Respectfully, Chanelle Simmons 2021, Catherina Lubin 2021, Samuel Hernandez 2022, Alexandra Belzie 2023, Angeleque Hartt 2022, Alexis Rivera 2023, George Papadopoulos 2022.

With loving support of Downstate Medical Students: Owen Edwards (2023), Lynn N. Benson (2022), Kelita Waterton (2023), Sarah Friedman, Lana Kass-Gergi (2022), Dominique Noriega (2022), Anna Fomitchova, Omasiri Wonodi (2022), Alexandra Diggs (2020), Lucas Garcia Reinoso, Matthew Acosta (2021), Stefanie Biondi (2021), Oscar Krol, Christopher George, Lynna Zhong (2022), Charles Benson (2021), Lily Stokoe, Tanveen Dhallu (2022), Claire Ferguson (2022),

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Shirley Qian (2022), Ryan Bender, Trisha Chabria, Rachel Axman, Rebecca Walton, Aaron S. Conway, MA, MS (2022), Paige Marze, Hannah Saven, Camilo Galeano Londono, Nicole Vingan, Thomas Sanchez, John Hessburg(2021), Lauren Vicente (2021), Nazir Jalili, Priyanka Parmar, Royce Park, Robert Beale, Anjali Jaiman (2021), Fernando Garcia (2023), Lila Marshall (2021), Valerie Velez (2022), Radha Sathanayagam, Maya Orlofsky, Brandon Da Silva (2021), Monica Friedman (2022), Emily Cowen (2022), Jess Delahanty, Julia Sokel, Collin Buckley, Fahmida Patwari, Andrea Martinez, Leanna Smith (2021), Kelsey Sklar (2022), Sharif Hosein, Jessica Chumsky (2021), Michael Devereux (2022), Noor Anvery, Jasmine Walker (2021), Esther Chen, Melissa Rivas, Jessamine Fazli (2021), Tristen TzeYin Tang, Jonathan Leong (2021), Shanan Barua, Adriana Kavoussi(2021), Diana Gregoriou, Francesca Macaluso, Elaine Fletcher (2022), Suriya Baskar (2022), Diana Gonzalez-Golden (2022), Bertilia Tavarez (2023), Thomas Flagiello (2021), Emily Stanford (2022), Tara Wetzler (2022), Alexander Hall (2022), Mahdi Hossain, Reem Khondakar(2022), Jacob Gaines (2022), Karen Chen, Gabriel Cohen (2022), Michele Wong (2022), Daniel Suarez, Vivienne H Au, Evan Marzouk (2022), Davena Zhang, Lucy Bickerton, Mitchell Bayne, Gonzalo Paz-Soldan (2022), Priyanka Wadgaonkar, JosÊ Sinon, Schneider Rancy (2021), Justin Dolin (2022), Dylan Wolff (2021), Pratik Patel, Megan Wang, Georgiana Yang, Kathleen Simons(2023), Kimanthi Gicovi, Christine Ibrahim (2022), Emily Hahm (2022), Galina Udod (2023), Alice Herchek (2022), Nikki Kijak, Talia Jubas, Amarachi Uwaga (2021), Anumta Raheel, John Hordines, Tatyana Yatsenko, Zachary Ye (2023), David Mandil (2022), Alana Engelbrecht, Kyrillos Akhnoukh, Isabella Giunta (2023), Antia Gomez, Sharon Guzman, Yi Tong (2022), Jessica Lanzkowsky (2023), Nicholas Spiezio, Celestine Christensen (2022), Sana Sajjad, Perri Vingan (2023), Lindsey Ayanruoh (2023), Latia Skerving (2023), Madeline D’Agostino (2023), Wajiha Kazmi (2022), Katarzyna Zaniewska, Allyson Hernandez, Isabella Chirico, Juan Villabona, Swetha Mummini, Marco Diaz-Cordova, Ariana Otto, Myanna Olsen,

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Saim Siddiqui (2023), Noah Panitch (2023), Marioghae Otuada, Marco Diaz-Cordova (2023), Andrew Porrazzo, Jannat Ara, Mohamed Sylla (2023), Nick Baglieri (2022),Marea Hatheway (2023), Srishty Amarnani, Mahee Islam (2022), Ann Yang (2022), Mahee Islam (2022), Hannah Every, Jason Truong (2023), Marc Moscatelli (2023), Mohamed Aboseria (2021), Matthew Merola, Shuhan Li (2023), Alexandra Greenberg, Meghan O’Keefe, Lawrence M Langan, Jose ErazoPaz, Lisa Kim (2022), Frank Segreto (2023), Arif Kodza, Gabrielle Marie Estevez-Inoa, Nabil Khan, Michael Dieringer (2023), Alvin Chang, Nafisa Chowdhury (2023), Amy Mandavia(2022), Aysha Malik, Gardenia Taza, Ana Maria Lopez (2021), Martin John, Samantha G Hinds, MD (2020), Lindsay Haefner, Ahsan Nawaz, Albina Islam, Sydul Choudhury, Jia Jian Li, Nicolle Siegart (2021), Christopher Ramirez (2021), Begum Ahmed (2020), Diona Symester(2021), Dan Kwon, Shivani Hewitt (2022), Matias Icaza Beiza, Lawrence M Langan, ChisomNnadi, MD (2020), Marae Thompson (2022), Laura Werle (2022), Bana Hadid (2023), Lucas Voyvodic, Toan Nguyen (2023), Michael Huamån (2022), Brian Levin, Shannon X Chen (2023), Omran Gdara (2022), Justin Ingram (2023), Suan Lee, Juan Villabona, Gabriel Davis, Lisa Scott 2023, Sarah Parker Leventer (2021), Wenyu Deng (2022), Dan Monessa, Max Mecklenburg(2021).

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ALLY ROLL CALL An ally is any person that actively promotes and aspires to advance the culture of inclusion through intentional, positive and conscious efforts that benefit people as a whole.

Following the release of our open letter, we received countless messages of support from leaders on campus. We believe allyship is paramount to fighting injustice and hope that illuminating these voices will encourage others to use their voice for the greater good.

Thank you to everyone who reached out in support.

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Dear Chanelle, Catherina, and all signers of this Call to Action, I commend you all for taking this stand and putting into words what so many of us are struggling to express. The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbury and the coinciding coronavirus pandemic have brought into tragic view the systemic racism, disparities and injustices that people of color continually face--systemic failures that continue to plague our society. The manipulative actions of Amy Cooper only further highlight the micro- and macroagressions that minorities and people of color must endure on a daily basis. If we did not acknowledge these injustices in the past, we were in denial. It is time for all of us to do the difficult work we must do to begin to right this ship.

I support your Call to Action, and stand with you as an ally, someone who cannot fully understand your experience, but is willing to listen and learn, and help to the best of my ability.

Originally, I was not going to include the entire COM faculty in my 'Reply All' response, but I think this is a good time for all of us to flood our inboxes with shows of support for these students.

If I have learned anything during this crisis, it is this--this next generation of students and professionals is taking the lead in this fight, they are passionate and committed, and perhaps we should just stay out of their way, and support them as best as we can. Maybe, finally, they are the answer.

I stand with these students, I support their Call to Action, and I offer to help in any way I can. I encourage the rest of Downstate's COM faculty to do the same.

Hillary B. Michelson, Ph.D.Associate Professor Department of Physiology and Pharmacology SUNY Downstate Medical Center

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Dear Chanelle, Catherina, and other students, I stand with you and kneel with you.

We can do better and we must do better.

Agree & support all of you.

Joan Cracco

Jenny Libien, MD PhD Chair Department of Pathology, SUNY Health Sciences University

Dear All: I support you, and I stand with you. Let's hope we can peacefully change the world.

Maria C Corsaro, MD,MS

I stand with you and kneel with you.

You are powerful champions, healers, change-agents. You will change the world for the better. We stand with you to do our part in action, words, and thoughts for justice and equity. Thank you for your fearlessness, demand for accountability, compassion.

Christopher Roman, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Executive Vice Chair for Research Department of Cell BiologyAssociate ProfessorDepartment of MedicineSUNY-Downstate Medical Center

All of our students,I stand with you in solidarity. Change is essential. Thank you for leading the charge.

Michael F Myers, MD Professor of Clinical Psychiatry Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences SUNY Downstate Medical Center

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Dear Class of 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 I march with you. I hope to be your ally and work to make this a better and more just world.

No one should stay silent.

Mudar Dalloul

Lisa D

I stand with you all - we must improve and cannot be silent.

Thank you for challenging and inspiring all of us to be better. We as faculty stand with you in this important work.

Michael Reinhardt, M.D. Assistant Professor, Clinical Advisory Dean, Director, Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship

Sage Wiener, MD Assistant Professor Director, Division of Medical Toxicology Department of Emergency Medicine SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

Same here; we are all of one mind on this issue!

Lisa Merlin

I’ve been in the marches this week and have always stood with you. March on!

Joseph Merlino

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Dear Catherina, Chanelle and other students. I thank you for your courage, thoughtfulness, bravery and fortitude in bringing this to the forefront. We stand with you and support you. This clearly shows that we all need to do better even though we think we are in a more inclusive institution.

Kevin Tehrani MD FACS Chief, Division of Plastic Surgery SUNY Downstate Medical Center

Dear students, I appreciate for "Call for Action".

I stand with you and I am your ally.

Anthony J. Joseph, M.D.Deans of Admissions.

I stand for you and am in full support of equal treatment, opportunity, and justice for all.

May positive change be borne from these recent, and not so recent, tragedies.

Thank you students for taking a stand. For those of us who have been through a fight like this in other parts of our lives, knowing that we can all come together and bring our experiences to help change another example of tragic inequality is truly moving. Thank you Dr. Michelson. With you Scot G. McAfee, M.D. Vice Chair for Education and Residency Training Director Department of Psychiatry SUNY Downstate Medical Center

Sincerely, Danielle Casagrande, MD

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I stand and kneel with all of you. It is equally important that if anybody attends protests, that we attend specifically as medical providers in solidarity with the cause of racial justice while reminding other protesters of the continued importance of wearing masks and trying to maintain as much distance as can be maintained in the crowd. As one who broke curfew and was at the Barclay's Center last night, I was impressed at the peaceful nature of the crowd, as well as the police nearby and that everyone there was wearing a mask. Let's change society for the better once and for all!!

I support you all 100%.

Subodh Saggi

Jeffrey M. Birnbaum, MD, MPH

Dear Students, I stand and support 100% to all of you!

Raj Wadgaonkar

Dearest students, Thanks for this beautiful and powerful call to action, you inspire us all. I share your pain and frustration. I stand with you !!

Regards,

I stand with you. We have to be the instruments of change. I commend you in leading this charge. Best wished. God Speed.

Miguel A. Ramirez, MD, FACP. Executive Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Assistant Professor of Medicine State University of New York Downstate Medical Center

Radha Giridharan Pediatric Neurologist.

Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology & Pediatrics.

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Together there is hope Bonnie Arquilla DO Professor of Emergency Medicine Director of Emergency Preparedness SUNY University Hospital Brooklyn

Dear Chanelle, Catherina, and all signers of this Call to Action, Drs. Sharon Glick and Edward Heilman stand in support of your call to action. Taken from a quote by John F. Kennedy, “Evil will triumph when good people do nothing.�

Edward Heilman

Dear students, I appreciate for "Call for Action".

I stand with you and I am your ally.

Anthony J. Joseph, M.D. Deans of Admissions.

Chanelle and Catherina, Thank you for this post.

It's needed and welcome. There is a lot to be done and I support both of you fully and all of the students of color at Downstate. As a POC and ally, I appreciate and am humbled by the call to action.

Dr. Stanley Tam Director of Student Counseling Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center

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I am awed by the power in this statement.

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology salutes your courage and affirms your stand. Howard

I fully support you and denounce the systemic racism that has brought us to this point in our country’s history.

I also support you and pledge to continue to advocate for greater diversity in our student body, faculty and leadership.

(Howard Minkoff)

Thank you for bringing this to the fore.

Eve S. Faber, MD Clinical Associate Professor Residency Director Department of Family and Community Medicine SUNY Downstate Medical Center Your words do resonate with us.

We are in support and agreement.

You can count on us!

Frank Barone

Dear Chanelle, Catherina and others:

You all have my 100% support.

We are better and stand together for major reform in our Country.

TKS Rao, M.D. Professor of Medicine

We stand with you against these racial injustices and atrocities, and in fighting for systemic reform in several fronts. We are proud of our students standing up for our communities, and we are with you.

Ramaswamy Viswanathan, MD, DMSc Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Chair, Psychiatry Grand Rounds Director, C-L Psychiatry Presiding Officer-Elect, College of Medicine Faculty and Staff

Dear Students, We are inspired by your powerful words.

We are ready to march with you towards change.

Best wishes, Chella Kamarajan

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Dear students, I too am awed by your statement and fully support and stand with you.

It is a bold and courageous thing you do.

John Laudi MD Program Director Ophthalmology SUNY Downstate

I stand with you!

Stay strong Eva Cramer, Ph.D. Distinguished Service Professor of Cell Biology Vice President for Biotechnology and Scientific Affairs President, Downstate Technology Center, Inc. President, BioBAT, Inc. SUNY Downstate Medical Center, MSC 129

Dear Catherina, Chanelle, All, We can avenge the murder of George Floyd and our brethren before him with unity, understanding and love. We are all One.

We stand with you!

David Fishman

Jeffrey Weiss

Adolescent Medicine supports and stands with you!

Best, Amy Suss Vote in November !

I am proud to stand with you.

David Wlody, M.D., F.A.S.A. Chair, Department of Anesthesiology, SUNY Downstate College of Medicine State University of New YorkDownstate Medical Center

Amy Suss, M.D. Director, Division of Adolescent Medicine S.U.N.Y. Downstate Medical Center Department of Pediatrics,

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Dear Medical Students of Color:

Thank you for refocusing attention on effecting critical changes needed within our Downstate community and our society as a whole.

Stan Fisher

The Pulmonary and Critical Care Division stands with you. It is an honor to train such a motivated and talented group of people. We will continue to strive to provide the best healthcare, educational and employment opportunities to our diverse community. The education you receive here will empower you to change the world.

Carpe Diem, Robert Foronjy, M.D. Associate Professor of Medicine Chief, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine 450 Clarkson Avenue, MSC 19 Brooklyn, New York 11203

Chanelle, Catherine & colleagues As always, I am amazed and so proud of our students and your quest for social justice and racial equality. Please let me know what I and the John Conley Division of Medical Ethics & Humanities can do to support your efforts.

Kathleen E. Powderly, CNM, PhD Director John Conley Division of Medical Ethics & Humanities SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

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Dear Students, The Department of Psychiatry, as the medical specialty whose center focus is emotional wellbeing, and myself as its Chair and a faculty POC, hear the pain so powerfully expressed in your letter. We stand with you and pledge to do all we can to promote the goals you outline, and salute you for your courage and moral leadership.

Best wishes, and be safe,

Ayman H. Fanous, MD Professor and Chair Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences SUNY Downstate Medical Center

Your call for campus-wide conversations and actions are more than appropriate. The opportunity must not be missed.

Richard Sadovsky MD, MS Professor of Family Medicine SUNY-Downstate Health Sciences University

You have my full support Enough is enough Ehab Abdelmalek, MD Dept. of Ob/Gyn

Thank you for your courage. I stand with all of you in supporting the AAMC's statement!

AAB AudrĂŠe A. Bendo, MD, MS, FASA Distinguished Service Professor & Chair of Anesthesiology SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University University Hospital of Brooklyn

You are so right that we are in a unique position here at Downstate.

I support you.

Laura Dattner, MD Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics

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On behalf of the Department of Neurology, we fully support and stand with you. Thank you for your advocacy and for inspiring us all to do a better job at promoting this critical mission.

Daniel M. Rosenbaum, M.D. Professor and Chair Department of Neurology SUNY Downstate

My entire support --Actions are needed and we are all in this together Herman Moreno, MD Associate Professor of Neurology and Pharmacology

Dear Chanelle, Catherina, and all other students: Dear Chanelle, Catherina, and all other students: I stand with you and support you 100%. You are so courageous and faculty and administration must use all of our power to confront the discrimination and injustices that our students and community face.

Thanks for your call to action. I pledge the support of myself and the STAR program. This has resonates deeply and cannot be ignored.

Jack DeHovitz

Michael Silver Clinical Instructor and Biostatistician Department of Medicine

Dear Students,

Dear Chanelle, Catherina, and all students, Thank you for your courage and initiative. I support and stand with you. We all speak with one voice against any and all forms of racism and injustice.

Godspeed B. Chaqour Professor

I stand with you shoulder to shoulder and support your statement against discrimination and demanding justice for all!

Sumita Chakrabarti, PhD Res. Assistant Professor Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

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Please add me to the letter. I stand and kneel with you.

Daniel Mark Siegel MD, MS, (Management and Policy), CPCD Clinical Professor of Dermatology, SUNY Downstate

Dear Students, Thank you for your efforts at a defining moment in cultural time, at the intersection of racism, health disparity, brutality, and infectious disease.

Paul Maccabee MD Professor

I am a naturalized citizen for over 30 yrs, yet I often feel like I have to explain what kind of American I really am. Experiencing arbitrary me/them aspects in our society I am glad to have this opportunity to make a stand with you and speak with a united voice and call out the darker aspects that exist under the cover of civility.

Bob Wong Distinguished Professor, Physiology/Pharmacology

Dear Students, This injustice must stop.

I stand with you.

Dr. Vincent Miriam T Vincent MD PhD JD Executive Director of DSRIP Medical Director of Ambulatory Care University Hospital of Brooklyn SUNY Downstate Health Sciences Center

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Dear Catherina and Chanelle, You have all my support. I am very proud of your initiative Best, Rami Mohamed Rami Nakeshbandi, MD Interim Chief Medical Officer Chief Quality Officer Assistant Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases SUNY Downstate Health Science University

Dear Chanelle, Catherina, and other students, I am so proud of you. I completely support you and kneel with you.

William J. Chirico, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Cell Biology Director, Molecular & Cellular Biology Program SUNY Downstate Medical Center

Dear Students,

On behalf of myself and the entire faculty and staff of the Department of Pediatrics: So our voices can be heard and cries for change responded to, For equity, justice and a better world, We stand together with you in strength and solidarity.

You make me a proud to be a member of the Downstate community. Add my name to your list. Your leadership gives me hope for the future.

Miriam Feuerman, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Cell Biology SUNY Downstate Medical Center

Truly, Stephen Wadowski, M.D. Professor and Chairman Department of Pediatrics SUNY Downstate HSU

Thank you, students, for challenging us. I hope that we can find ways to truly rise to the challenge and effectively make a difference in this splintered society.

Steve Fox

On behalf of the Sports Medicine Division, we stand with you!

We support the fight against the racial injustices that exist.

IT MUST STOP! Regards, Christine S. Persaud MD, MBA, FAAFP Program Director, Sports Medicine Fellowship Medical Director, Division of Sports Medicine Department of Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation Medicine

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We all stand with you in unequivocally condemning any form of racism or discrimination and will continue to work to ensure that both are exposed and eliminated in our society John Danias, MD, PhD

This is an important historical moment that provides us with an opportunity to move from victimblaming and individualistic views of illness and care to examine and address the broader structural causes of health disparities.

Thanks for getting this discussion started on our campus.

Carl I. Cohen, M.D. SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Professor & Director Division of Geriatric Psychiatry SUNY Downstate Medical Center

This is an important historical moment that provides us with an opportunity to move from victim-blaming and individualistic views of illness and care to examine and address the broader structural causes of health disparities.

Thanks for getting this discussion started on our campus.

Dear Students, You make me a proud to be a member of the Downstate community. Add my name to your list. Your leadership gives me hope for the future.

Miriam Feuerman, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Cell Biology SUNY Downstate Medical Center

Dear Students yes, yes, yes, I stand with you. Now is the time to make a difference. Thank you!

Clinton Clinton D Brown MD, FASN, FAHA, FNLA Professor of Medicine Deputy Chief, Renal Division, Department of Medicine Chair, Institutional Review Board SUNY Downstate Medical Center

Carl I. Cohen, M.D. SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Professor & Director Division of Geriatric Psychiatry SUNY Downstate Medical Center

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Dear Chanelle, Catherina, and other students, I am so proud of you!

You all inspire me!

I proudly kneel beside you in support and solidarity Very best, Tonya N. Taylor, PhD., MS. Assistant Professor College of Medicine & Division of Infectious Disease Special Treatment and Research (STAR) Program The BRooklyn Initiative to Develop Geriatrics Education (BRIDGE) Health Resources and Services Administration's Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP)

Dear Chanelle and Catherina and all of the student body, I can recount incident after incident after incident after incident...that I have personally experienced as a young black/Afro-Caribbean male; and how often we worry about our children leaving the house for even school or work or play...

I SIGN WITH YOU, I STAND WITH YOU, I MARCH WITH, I CRY WITH YOU AND I WILL REJOICE WITH YOU FOR CHANGE NOW!!! NOT JUST WORDS BUT POSITIVE EFFECTIVE CHANGE NOW!!!

Together In This, Everton Prospere, M.D., M.P.H. Geriatric Fellowship Program Director SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University "To whom much is given, much is required..."

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The Neonatology Faculty supports and stands with you. Vigilance is the price of liberty.

Equality and Justice will hopefully prevail soon.

Jack Aranda J .V. Aranda, MD, PhD, FRCPC, FAAP Professor of Pediatrics and Ophthalmology and Director of Neonatology PI/Director: New York Pediatric Developmental Pharmacology Research Consortium Program Director: Neonatal -Perinatal Medicine Fellowship State University of New York Downstate Medical Center

Dear Chanelle, Catherina, and other students, I am so proud of you!

You all inspire us as our future leaders!

I proudly stand and kneel beside you in support and solidarity 100% Christina Guillen, M.D., FAAP Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Program Director, Pediatric Residency Program Director, Community Pediatrics Associate Designated Institutional Officer of Diversity and Inclusion Graduate Medical Education SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

Dear Students, Thank you for being a shining beacon of hope during these dreadful times. Know that you have my admiration and full support.

Temitope Jose

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Dear Students, Thank you for your courage, guidance, and inspiration. You make me proud to be part of the SUNY Downstate community, and you have my full support.

Susana Martinez-Conde, PhD Professor of Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Physiology & Pharmacology Director, Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience 2014 Society for Neuroscience’s Science Educator Award 2014 Empire Innovator Scholar State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Health Sciences University

Dear Catherina, Chanelle and all, I applaud your efforts and I stand together with you.

This is our cause and our University stands for freedom, justice and human dignity!

Mona Pervil-Ulysse, MD Assistant Professor Department of Medicine Director, S/EHS

The Neonatology Faculty supports and stands with you. Vigilance is the price of liberty. Equality and Justice will hopefully prevail soon.

J .V. Aranda, MD, PhD, FRCPC, FAAP Professor of Pediatrics and Ophthalmology and Director of Neonatology State University of New York Downstate Medical Center

As Downstate alum of 94 and neutralized citizen of more than 30 years, I am still amazed about the lack of progress in our society.

I am glad for this opportunity to stand with you in this issue. Thank you Wellman Cheung MD FACS FPMRS Clinical Professor Department of Urology Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery SUNY Downstate Health Science University

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There is a passage in the Qur’an that says one who causes the loss of any human life is considered as one who destroyed the entire world, and one who saves any human life is considered as one saved the entire world. We should look to each other for strength and hope, and recommit ourselves to our shared goals of making the world a better place -- for everyone. As scientific leaders whose sole purpose is to improve health and well being FOR ALL, we are privileged to be able to fully contribute towards this solidarity. We cannot stand idly by while our neighbors's blood is shed. As Winston Churchill said: Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

Alan Gintzler SUNY Distinguished Professor

Dear Chanelle, Catherina, and other students,

Dear Students, from another naturalized citizen: Your words are indeed a call for action for our academic community.

We all support your stance and are here for you! I hope we all will be involved in the discussions and acts combating racism in our society, and, if I may add, we all will be voting and participating in our democracy!

I am so proud of you!

You all inspire us as our future leaders!

I proudly stand and kneel beside you in support and solidarity 100% Christina Guillen, M.D., FAAP Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Program Director, Pediatric Residency Program

Nick Papamitsakis, MD Neurology 24

Dear Chanelle Simmons 2021, Catherina Lubin 2021, Samuel Hernandez 2022, Alexandra Belzie 2023, Angeleque Hartt 2022, Alexis Rivera 2023, George Papadopoulos 2022, I wish to declare my full support to your heartfelt message. Please know I am with you all in solidarity.

Samuel Mรกrquez, Ph.D. Associate Professor Co-Director of Gross Anatomy College of Medicine, Director of Gross Anatomy, School of Health Professions, and Director of Anatomical Donor Program SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

Thank you to the students for your bravery!

As we all stand in solidarity, please join us in our resident-led Die In Demonstration tomorrow as we call for justice and change!

Details on the flyer attached. We will have security and respect social distancing. Wear your white coats and/or scrubs. Please invite your trainees and students. This is a time for us to show support for our patients, students, residents, and faculty of color, and those who are impacted by the generations of racial injustices that plague our country.

Sincerely, Teresa Y. Smith, MD, MSEd, FACEP Associate Dean of Graduate Medical Education and Affiliations Designated Institutional Official Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine

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Downstate Students and Faculty, I highly endorse a call to action. We are at a critical time in institutional, local and national history.

We, as a community, should consider a various lines of action. In particular, increased and better engagement with the community. I’m a scientist and educator, not a clinician. I would like to see radically increased educational and research outreach. Certainly, there have been successful efforts in the past. I suggest these efforts evaluated and re-doubled.

Bravo for echoing your voices and being direct on the point. You have my full support and that of the Department of Medicine. We will stand with you in solidarity.

Injustice is inhumane and must stop. No step is small towards justice.

Moro Salifu

John Kubie

Dear Students, I applaud you for your initiative and courage and will support you all the way in solidarity!

Stephan Kohlhoff

Dear Chanelle, Catherina, and other students, I am so proud of you!

You all inspire us as our future leaders!

I proudly stand and kneel beside you in support and solidarity 100%

Stephan Kohlhoff, MD Director, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Associate Professor, Pediatrics and Medicine SUNY Downstate Medical Center

Christina Guillen, M.D., FAAP Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Program Director, Pediatric Residency Program

26

Dear Chanelle, Catherine and all other students,

Dear Students, I applaud you for your initiative and courage and will support you all the way in solidarity!

our Declaration of Independence states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..."

Let's live that way!

Stephan Kohlhoff Stephan Kohlhoff, MD Director, Pediatric Infectious Diseases

I am proud of you, stand with you, and support your statement against any kind of discrimination here at Downstate and in our country!

Andrea Bibbig, PhD Research Assistant Professor Dept. of Physiology & Pharmacology

I stand in solidarity with you for justice ,peace and respect,Quran chapter 49 verse #13 " O mankind indeed we have created you from one male and a female,and we made you into nations,races and tribes that you may know one another,surely most noble of you near God is the most pious and conscious of HIM,indeed God is all knowing all aware" Our medical students are my brothers, sisters,sons and daughters.

I am equally outraged, saddened, and disheartened and I wholeheartledly stand alongside you.

Gina Taylor, MD

Kaiser Islam Medical Director Brooklyn free Clinic

27

To the Students and the Downstate Community: The Office of Downstate Education Leadership Team (OEdLT) stands behind the sentiments expressed by the students, President Riley and the AAMC and shares in the condemnation and sadness regarding the tragic events that have transpired in this country. We recognize that this has added to the already stressful environment that was created by the pandemic. We wish to express our pride in the strength of our students and our community, the richness of its diversity, inclusivity and the depth of its compassion. In this time it is especially important to embrace the principles of equality, justice and peace.

Mariana Markell, MD Professor of Medicine Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education Riccardo Bianchi, PhD Associate Dean for Foundations of Medicine Sophie Christoforou, MSEd Associate Dean for Student and Curricular Affairs Fredric C. Volkert, PhD Associate Dean for Education Development Bonnie Granat, PhD Associate Dean and Director of Assessment Ellen Berkowitz, MD Associate Dean for Medical Education

Rikki Ovitsh, MD Associate Dean for Clinical Competencies Elka Jacobson-Dickman, MD Associate Dean for Clinical Medicine Schnell Lafortune Chief of Staff, Office of Medical Education Antonia Quinn, DO Associate Director of Clinical Skills Jeffrey S. Putman, EdD Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Jason Lazar, MD, MPH Vice Dean for Education

28

Dear Catherina and Chanelle, students, and faculty, During this last week I have felt despair. I appreciate your letter and the responses. They make me grateful to be a part of the Downstate community and give me hope for our future. I appreciate your courage and determination to create good out of devastating tragedy. I believe you can lead us to Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream for our future.

Lead on with love and compassion, Katherine Perkins

You have complete support from myself and the Division of Allergy and Immunology.

Rauno Joks, MD

My complete support for this initiative Olga Dvorkina, MD Associate Professor of Medicine Rheumatology division

Dear Catherina and Chanelle, students, and faculty, During this last week I have felt despair. I appreciate your letter and the responses. They make me grateful to be a part of the Downstate community and give me hope for our future. I appreciate your courage and determination to create good out of devastating tragedy. I believe you can lead us to Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream for our future.

Lead on with love and compassion, Katherine Perkins

29

You have my full support!

Let this pivotal moment galvanize us all to look deeply at our communities, both professional and personal, and make change.

I support you.

Sincerely,

Alejandro Iván Hernández, PhD Assistant Professor Microscopy Research Facility Director Department of Pathology SUNY Downstate Medical Center

I am sickened and saddened by what is and has been going on in this country for too long. It’s time for a permanent change you have my support and I stand by you always.

Dr Suzanne Braun

You are a true inspiration.

Dr. Laura Bruno and family

To the Students of SUNY Downstate: Commitment, compassion and remembrance are the guide to change. I commend you all in your efforts to embrace this sentiment in the goal to erase the drivers of this past week’s events that have been repeated all too often. Brutality, ignorance and racism are self-reinforcing. My father and wife immigrated to this country. I remain hopeful that many will continue to follow with the acknowledgement that diversity brings enlightened understanding to all.

Randall Barbour, Ph.D. Professor

Dear Students, Thank you for your bravery and leadership....it is the right call, long overdue but not and easy one.

I fully support your initiative and truly hope that together we will find healing and peace.

Eduardo Mascareno Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Cell Biology

30

My complete support. We have an opportunity to create change and thank you for taking the initiative.

Stacy Blain

100%. Thank you for your strength, and for putting this front and center for all of us.

Keith Williams and the Unit 1 leadership team, faculty & staff.

To all, The last few days have been some of the most traumatic that I can remember. For too long, we have been complicit in our silence, knowing of the daily oppression of minorities by the police. We as faculty need to stand, arm in arm, with members of the Downstate Community to fight injustice in our community and in our country.

In solidarity, Peter Bergold, Ph.D. Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology

Any form of racism and hatred should not be tolerated!!!

You set an excellent example of intiating peaceful change.

We need stricter gun control in this country as well!!

Senseless murder should not be tolerated.

Monique Hanono

We stand with you to protest this injustice in our society. You are truly an inspiration on how to make the world a better place for our families and children.

You do us all proud!

Andrea Weiner

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Chanelle, Catherina, Samuel, Alexis, Alexandra, Angeleque, and George, and the students who stand with you Thank you for your courageous, eloquent words expressing feelings that I can only indirectly identify with.

As students, of any kind, you are expected to receive guidance from your teachers.

Your pleas for additional campus wide communication and discussion of these pressing issues are appropriate and I fully stand with you and agree with working diligently to reach these goals.

However, rather than simply stating that we are with you, the faculty should be providing you with some primary support in how to do so.

Downstate is at a cross roads right now and our ability to provide you with the education that you deserve is itself in question.

While the pandemic has had profound effects on all of the NYC hospitals, the Manhattan hospitals are getting literally millions of dollars in additional support which as a public entity we are not eligible for.

These same hospitals already have a robust infrastructure that has allowed them to rapidly report their preliminary clinical experiences and thus position themselves to receive additional grants to continue to study the consequences of COVID19.

Downstate with its designation of “COVID19 only” is now poised to restart services, with yet another cloud hanging over our head.

I have recently submitted a grant to the FCC to complement the infrastructure that has already been put in place to utilize Telemedicine to assist with the care of COVID19 patients.

In the grant I stressed that this our surrounding neighborhood is among the worst affected areas of the city and remains one of the most vulnerable. The grant application highlights that it is not known how to secure the widespread adoption of Telemedicine in the inner city itself. The grant strives to identify how to utilize this resource more effectively in our community. The grant also is designed to investigate the optimal way to incorporate students and residents into this process, again largely unknown.

It is my personal belief, that ONLY by recognizing the needs of our community and working to realize them, will we be successful.

Thirty five years ago when I arrived to Downstate / KCHC, the Peds GI clinic saw a few patients every month. Over the first three years I saw three African American adolescents with perianal Crohn disease.

None of the three boys were diagnosed correctly despite the fact that they all had GI symptoms and failure to thrive. All three families were reported to ACS for potential sexual abuse causing the perianal lesions. Two mothers were forced to go to court. Fortunately, they wound up here. They were correctly diagnosed and treated and I assisted them in resolving their legal issues.

I took photos and went around to all of the health stations seeing kids in East new York and said, never report these kids to the police, send them to me.

That began an “avalanche” of patients to the division, which included the first two kids in Brooklyn who received successful liver transplants.

Good ideas that respectfully engage the community will be recognized and to me, are the only way that our medical school will be recognized as the place that has such earnest and committed young students and doctors.

Simon S Rabinowitz, PhD, MD, FAAP Professor of Clinical Pediatrics Vice Chairman, Clinical Practice Development Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition SUNY Downstate College of Medicine The Children's Hospital at Downstate

32

Dear all, I, like others, stand in solidarity with the students for the call for action.

I am so proud of our future generation of physicians. You are embarking on your medical career at a inflection point in our nation, as we concurrently fight a new pandemic and longstanding racism.

Thank you, students, for your leadership and initiative during this unprecedented situation.

With deep appreciation and admiration, Jameela Yusuff

Dear Catherina, Chanelle, All, The warnings my Father and Mother conveyed to my 2 brothers and myself over and over again , was then passed on from me to my 2 sons over and over again.

This is standard operating procedure in the African American, Afro-Caribbean and Latino Households of America. I stand, kneel, and support your initiative.

Llewellyn M. Hyacinthe MD, MBA, FACS Associate Professor of Urology SUNY Downstate Health Science University

Dear students, Thank you for this initiative. We stand united against oppression and injustice in our country.

Sabina Hrabetova

In these incredibly difficult times we have lived in for the last few months, it has been comforting to see that inspiration has come from those we are tasked with teaching. I stand and kneel with you because it is now more than ever the right thing to do.

Melvyn Braiman, M.D. Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Program Director, Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship Program SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

33

Hi Chanelle: The Department of Otolaryngology stands with you in working to reduce health disparities and promote health and equity in all communities of color.

We also agree that Downstate, as part of the SUNY system, is ideally situated, and obliged, to do this, considering that SUNY was launched in 1948 with express goals of prohibiting “educational discrimination based on race, religion, creed, color or national origin,” and addressing “widespread discriminatory practices, highly prevalent in private schools at the time.”

We must all join in carrying this mission forward for underrepresented minorities and others in our community who remain impacted by injustice.

Wishing you the best, Rich Rosenfeld Richard M. Rosenfeld, MD, MPH, MBA Distinguished Professor, Program Director, and Chairman, Department of Otolaryngology Immediate Past-President of the Medical and Dental Staff SUNY Downstate Medical Center

I will be there at 2pm. We will be together in this fight. God bless you, Americo Esquibies

Dear Chanele, Catherina, Samuel, Alexis, Alexandra, Angeleque, George, and others, The faculty and staff of the School of Graduate Studies joins you in this important cause. The outpouring of love an support from the campus is exactly what we collectively hope to offer to help with the healing.

Mark Stewart Dean

34

Dear Students, We commend all of you (our brilliant college of medicine students) for your courage in speaking up and speaking out against racial injustice in our society. This is not only a difficult time for our nation but for each and every one of us fighting for equality amongst all, irrespective of race. What we witnessed with the killing of George Floyd at the hand of Minnesota Police is grossly repulsive and we condemn the hateful actions of those officers. Our Downstate community is privileged to serve a predominantly Black patient population. We are well aware of the health disparity in COVID-19 outcomes on our patients due to effect of systemic racism. All of the physicians of the Hospitalist group at University Hospital of Brooklyn-SUNY Downstate Medical Health Science University Medical Center stand in solidarity with our students and with our community in denouncing racism in our country. We are fully committed to doing our part and want to play a pivotal role in correcting the harm and wrong that has been inflicted on so many. That said, we will continue to push for further diversity and inclusion within our faculty and on our campus.

Sincerely, SUNY Downstate, UHB - Hospitalist Group Dept. of Medicine - Section of Hospital Medicine.

Latif Salam, MD, FACP Kaycie Cobb, MD Harjinder Gill, MD Vinita Gupta, MD Kakin Iong, MD Sandeep Kochar, MD Timothy Leupp, MD Isabel McFarlane, MD, FACP Rovie Mesola, MD Noriyuki Murakami, MD Cameron Page, MD Sunny Paghdal, MD Eduard Porosnicu, MD Miguel Ramirez, MD, FACP Mafuzur Rahman, MD Richard Ratanaprasatporn, MD Allison Regan, MD Jerome Salvani, MD, FHM

35

Proud is not the right word, more like awe, humility, joy, and relief to witness a new, beneficent and just force of nature assert its power.

In my two decades of service at Downstate I have never seen such a tidal wave of responsiveness and uniform voice of compassion and support, across so many corners of our medical school. I'm still reeling from it. We now have the opportunity to come together as a campus community, and you did that. It's our responsibility to make sure this leads to real, enduring change, and ensure accountability for those words of support.

In that spirit I'm wondering if (hoping) you also reached out to students, faculty, and administration/leadership at our partner schools and colleges on our campus. They are also SUNY Downstate Students (and faculty, administrators) of Color, and are also effecting change in education and health care in their areas to address social determinants and strongly advocating for health equity and justice. Breaking silos and building partnerships across health care disciplines is essential to effect real change.

Christopher Roman, Ph. D. Associate Professor and Executive Vice Chair for Research Department of Cell Biology Associate Professor Department of Medicine

I am proud to represent the faculty and fellows in the Rheumatology Division in standing with you and applauding your plans for genuine change in a community and nation that is crying out for it.

Downstate can be a model of progress if we all work together.

Ellen Ginzler, MD, MPH Distinguished Teaching Professor, Department of Medicine Chief of Rheumatology

I agree with the medical students.

In the words of the late James Baldwin,� Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced,�

Deborah Reede

36

Dear Catherina, Chanelle, Students, and Alumni from the College of Medicine – Thank you for your courage in sending this compelling letter with your call to action to address and reject racism, to address health disparities, and to continuously promote diversity and inclusion across Downstate. This is indeed a critically important cause, one that I wholeheartedly support. As witnessed from the many responses you’ve received from Downstate’s leaders, faculty and administrators, we unequivocally express our solidarity – we stand together and reject racism and hate in all its forms.

We will strive to do more to address the health disparities that we see every day. We can do better, and we will do better.

And I agree with you that there is an educational opportunity in these recent unfortunate events, and will work towards creating a forum like the one you have described in your letter.

Sincerely, F. Charles Brunicardi, M.D., FACS Dean, College of Medicine SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

Dear Catherina, Please add my name to the list of supporters. Thank you for taking your knowledge and turning it into action. As physicians, we have a unique vantage point so we must speak out against inequities and injustices that lead to morbidity and mortality. It is important that our voices, our perspective, is added to the rising call for equality. Thank you students for spearheading this effort.

Dear Medical Students, I applaud your valiant efforts.

I also think Dr. Reede's comment was spot on.

Eric Shrier

Ella-Jean Richards, MD Associate Director, Division of General Pediatrics Associate Clerkship Director Department of Pediatrics SUNY Downstate

37

Dear Students, Thank you!

I am proud of your advocacy and grateful for your challenge that we, all of us in a privileged place, each commit to do better to confront the racial injustices that we tolerate and avoid discussing.

I absolutely support you and look forward to your successes.

At your prompting, I challenge myself and my colleagues to every day commit to examining and recognizing our own biases and their consequences, whether conscious or unconscious. We each have to start where we are, and we can each immediately start with our well intentioned selves.

For those of us who are curious and especially those of us who believe we have no bias, I suggest taking an Implicit Association Test to find out, then act accordingly. Here is a link: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html Thanks to all of you for making this Downstate community very meaningful.

Andre Fenton

Hi All: An excellent document. It's part of the framework of how we must address America's original sin. There are so many ways that discrimination is manifest in our world and especially our country - one where whose founding ideals should have eventually lead to a more just society.

Discrimination is such a waste of talent and prevents the true formation of a "more perfect union". People are people, nothing else. I hope for peace and true justice.

In hope and resolve, John Carter

Dear Students Congratulations on your wonderful efforts for positive change in our faltering country. Racism in any form and toward any person or group must not be tolerated. We must all work to understand and respect each other, eliminate our implicit biases, and help others to achieve this by thoughtful means.

Louis Salciccioli M.D.

38

Dear Catherina Lubin et al.

This is indeed a dark period in America. It is hard for any soul to watch the life of helpless Mr. George Floyd taking away in a broad day light without evoking a feeling of despair. The outpouring of love and concerns as expressed especially by the youths regardless of their ethnic background makes believe there is a light at the end of this painful unbearable tunnel. As we come together to mourn we are hopeful that the night time shall soon pass away and we shall indeed embrace a bright sunshine. May God give us the strength and courage to navigate this wandering ship towards the intended and rightful destination that guarantees freedom, liberty, love and justice for all. I am very grateful you have taken this noble initiative that is aimed at seeking justice for a man we have never met but whose death reminds us of the fragility imposed upon us by the (unfortunate) inadequacies of the American community. Despite her imperfection, what you are doing in form of community mobilization for righteous cause is a testimony to the greatness of this country.

Thanks Oluwatoyin F Bamgbola, MD, FAAP, FMC(Paed),Nig., Assoc Professor and Division Director Pediatric Nephrology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center

Catherina and Chanelle, and all those who stand for justice, equality, and humanity, We, in the Department of Surgery, pledge our support and unity with you, as we seek and demand these basic rights for all.

Alexander Schwartzman, MD. MBA, FACS Interim Char, Department of Surgery

Dear All, One mode of oppression is the attempt to silence voices.

I am so proud that you have not allowed yourselves to be muted.

We need your strength.

We need your determination.

We need your courage.

We continue to need your voices!

Judith E. Mitchell, MD Department of Medicine

39

America's 400 years of racism is an undeniable reality. One never knows where the spark that changes an individual or a nation comes from. I hope we can point to these weeks as the spark that helped us set a different course.

Dear students , I fully stand with you for Justice, equality and respect for all humanity. I am with you and support you.

Please add my name to the list of supporters .

Thank you for taking the lead to represent downstate .

Meseret Tena Meseret Meshesha Tena, M.D., FAAP Director of Pediatric OPD at UHBÂ SUNY Downstate Medical Center

Jeffrey A. Feola, MD Psychiatry Clerkship Director; Co-Director of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

I want to express my solidarity with Chanelle Simmons and Students of Color Call for Action. I am very proud to see the long list of Downstate/ KCHC faculty who have expressed their unwavering support for our Students of Color. Now more than ever it cannot be contested that Black Lives Matter. The ultimate sacrifice of George Floyd should not be in vain. His life has served to open at Downstate the discussion of racial injustice. We stand with you in profound sadness for all those people of color who have died a brutal death. We mourn their senseless loss. Thank-you Jeremy Coplan, MD Professor of Psychiatry Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences State University of New York Downstate Medical Center

40

Dear Students and Colleagues, Thank you for thoughtfully speaking up against racism and for positive change. I fully support your peaceful efforts to change all of us for the better.

Lengko Helen Valsamis, MD Vice-Chair of Neurology Professor of Clinical Neurology Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology Associate Neurology Residency Program Director Associate Unit Director Associate DIO for GME Chief of Neurology, Kings County Hospital

Dear Students, I wanted to let you know that I I do stand with you. Your statement is powerful. I appreciate your energy and determination in spearheading the movement of eliminating inequalities and the courage to start this conversation.

Inci Dersu MD MPH Director of Medical Student Education in Ophthalmology

Dear Students and Colleagues You have spoken what many of us feel about racism in America and Brooklyn. There is hope for our future.

Thank you for your courage and leadership to start this conversation, to challenge us to think and act - words are not enough.

I'm reminded of my inner student prepared to fight for justice, my own status as an "other" immigrant and profound sadness and anger.

You have my complete support. Standing with you, acting for change that must happen.

Mary Ann Banerji Mary Ann Banerji, MD, FACP Professor of Medicine Chief Endocrinology SUNY Downstate Medical Center Kings County Hospital 41

Dear Students, I commend you for your courage to speak up and motivating all of us to engage in this important conversation.

We are proud of you for doing this and you have our full support. I am proud to work at SUNY Downstate where we all recognize the importance of this issue and are ready to speak and act in support of this cause.

The future is bright with students like you and I am confident we will become a better society thanks to your leadership.

I stand with all of you to help make our society better.

Shivakumar Vignesh, MD. Chief and Program Director, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Dear Students,

Dear Students, I commend you for your bravery and for uniting the campus in a stance for humanity against racial inequity and injustice. It is certainly a challenging and unsettling time in which we must proclaim ENOUGH.

Congratulations in taking the initiative to confront the serious issues of racism, both overt and covert, that confront us. I look forward to supporting and taking part in the initiatives that you propose.

Stan Friedman

You have my full support.

Anita Beecham-Robinson MD Department of Family Medicine

42

Dear Downstate Medical Students: Your letter and inspirational words demonstrate my Downstate generation’s ability to select the next generation’s leaders. Our commitment to always love our fellow man even under the most difficult circumstances is proven in every deed as we serve our community and country. You inherit this gift from us. As you go forward as leaders of society, remember that you must always repair the defects in the fabric of society by your virtuous acts not only in the delivery of medicine but in all aspects of life in your community. You are our better angel.

Arnold Strashun, M.D.

Students: Thank you for your courage, passion and resolve.

I would like to strongly recommend that everyone committed to the effort to fight injustice and racism follow the suggestions from Dr. Andre Fenton in his email: “At your prompting, I challenge myself and my colleagues to every day commit to examining and recognizing our own biases and their consequences, whether conscious or unconscious. We each have to start where we are, and we can each immediately start with our well intentioned selves.

For those of us who are curious and especially those of us who believe we have no bias, I suggest taking an Implicit Association Test to find out, then act accordingly. Here is a link: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html Dr. Arthur Grant Neurology

Chanelle, Catherina, Samuel, Alexandra, Angeleque, Alexis, George, et al, Our heartfelt thanks for your courage in penning this letter, and spurring us all to declare our position. And it’s very encouraging to me as a relative new comer here to see the tremendous display of solidarity. I did come to the right place!

I too am sorry to see such injustice and violence, and so brazenly displayed. What do I tell my 3 kids? It’s been 9 years since Travon Martin, and the regularity with which we find ourselves in this type of situation is beyond comprehension.

Yes, I recognize our collective responsibility act. And your active stance and tremendous courage is a great inspiration to us all.

Montgomery Douglas, MD Professor and Chair Dept of Family and Community Medicine Chief of Population Health Strategy and Innovation One Brooklyn Health System 43

Dear Students: I am completely wowed by your letter. It is phenomenal. I totally support your efforts to stand up to racism in our community and in our country. It must be annihilated!

My very close friend, who is also Black, told me that he had to warn his young son to always say, “Yes, Sir”, “No, Sir” when responding to a cop. As many of you well know, my friend had to do this from his own experience and then pass this “advice” to his son. As a White person in America, I cannot even imagine having to deal with this. The anger and frustration from being treated like that must be enormous.

It is well past time that people stop treating individuals as the “others” because they do not look like or speak like them. This must end!

As you move forward structuring strategies to rebuild community and country – and annihilate racism completely – I would love to meet with you to hear your plans (via ZOOM, if need be) and to share any insights from my many decades of progressive political experience that may be helpful.

Again, your letter is superb. Please let me know how I can help you.

Regards, Christopher Lange Christopher S. Lange, S.B. (MIT), D.Phil. (Oxon, Fac. Med.), KCOM Professor of Radiation Oncology, College of Medicine Professor of Molecular & Cell Biology, School of Graduate Studies Director of Radiation Research Associate Director of Radiation Oncology Residency Program SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

Dear students of SUNY Downstate, I thank you for starting this initiative. I support you completely. The time has come for us to join together to create positive change that ensures a fair and just society.

Regards, Sheryl Smith, Ph.D. Professor Dept. of Physiology and Pharmacology

44

Hello colleagues and friends, In trying to explain what is going on in the world and in our community to my kids recently I am often at a loss of words. Trying to rationalize what has been happening and educating them about their role has been far from easy. Not speaking up, not identifying our own biases and not standing up to what is blatantly wrong is unacceptable. I am well aware that I will never walk in the same shoes that some of you have but I will do my best to teach my kids to never treat someone differently because of their race, gender or social status. To those that have been directly involved by this type of racist behavior know that you are not alone; we see you, hear you and and stand with you.

The inequities that were shown through the covid 19 pandemic has shown us that patients of color or social inequities have higher rates of mortality and morbidity in every facet of health. Racism is a root cause of health disparities and worse outcomes. These are the same features that affect education, job availability, housing and really every other part of a person's life.

We would like to send this email in support of the 2pm protest. We are hoping that all of our faculty, residents and staff will attend. Being on the front lines in this pandemic is just as important as being on the front lines of the covid-19 pandemic.

I recognize that some of these conversations about race and implicit bias may be difficult and uncomfortable and may even cause conflict within ourselves. I encourage that those of us that need to understand why this is important and what we can do to ask questions to gain more knowledge. Have the tough conversations with those around you and those who may not share the same point of view. Lets schedule a time as a department or individually and we can bring people that have greater insight into this important matter to discuss with all of us. I know Dr Gore is available and happy to discuss these things which I have done many times in the past with him and have gained so much more clarity.

Our department will stand by any efforts of the medical students, residents, faculty and staff in our department that will be standing up for this cause. I am so proud to work in the community that we do, seeing the patients that we do, and with the colleagues and residents that we have. We are not just here as bystanders as medical personnel but here in support of the need for change. You are the driving force in the change that needs to occur and we are here along side you in this fight for what is right. We welcome any ideas on how to support our community, faculty and residents in this endeavor now and moving forward.

We join our EM colleagues across the country, our friends and our community in outrage at the senseless deaths of so many. We reject racism and injustice in all forms.

Sincerely Ninfa Mehta and the EM department of SUNY Downstate & Kings County -Ninfa Mehta, MD MPH Clinical Professor Medical Director Emergency Department University Hospital of Brooklyn, SUNY Downstate Vice Chair of Education and Faculty Development Department of Emergency Medicine Kings County Hospital Center/SUNY Downstate

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Assalamu Alaikum (May you all be enveloped in peace), On behalf of our family here at Downstate Muslim Students' Association, we want to first and foremost unequivocally condemn all forms of brutality, systemic injustice, and racism.

We stand in solidarity with the Black community, and we call on you to join us in amplifying the voices of our brothers and sisters, demanding sustainable and profound reform.

We stand in solidarity with Downstate's DHWS and LMSA, and back their Statement of Solidarity wholeheartedly, and encourage you all to read it, understand it, and internalize it.

We condemn any and all acts of violence, but we urge that you not be distracted by them. Instead, we hope you focus your attention to the systemic racism, blatant police brutality, and decades of oppression, all of which are much greater offenses in the sight of God, that have fueled the justified anger.

Black Lives Matter.

We would like to bring light to a verse from the Qur'an, "O believers, stand FIRMLY and PERSISTENTLY for Allah (God), witnesses in JUSTICE, and do not let your hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness..." (Chapter 5, Verse 8) Muhammad, our prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "Whosoever of you sees an evil (an injustice), let him change it with his hand (actions); and if he is not able to do so, then with his tongue (words); and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart -- and that is the weakest level of faith." [Narrated in Sahih Muslim, on the authority of Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudree RA] Be proactive by: 1. Signing a petition: Click here for #JusticeforFloyd!

Click here to Petition the White House for Justice for George Floyd!

Click here for Federal Bureau of Investigation: Justice for George Floyd!

Click here to Tell Minneapolis City Council To Defund The Police!

Click here to Petition ¡ Justice for Breonna Taylor!

And many others that we haven't listed.

2. Donating: Donate to Launchgood.com/MPLS here!

Donate to Reclaim The Block here!

Donate to National Bail Out here!

Donate to Black Visions Collective here!

And many others, not listed.

3. Spreading awareness and utilizing mental health/wellness resources & organizations in this difficult time: BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health) [for black people] Therapy for Black Girls [for black women] Sista Afya [for black women] Downstate Student Counseling Services [for Downstate students] NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) National Suicide Prevention Lifeline [1-800-273-8255] And any others that we haven't listed- More resources can be found in the statement by DHWS and LMSA. Finally, we urge people to: I. Correct anyone around (ESPECIALLY your friends and family) when you hear anti-black rhetoric. Change begins in your own homes, and in your own circles.

II. Listen and amplify Black voices and experience. Speak with your Black peers. Hear from them.

III. Acknowledge and USE your privilege (this includes non-Black POC), to establish justice and equality.

IV. Do not forget who the real oppressor is (do not misdirect focus, attention, or conversation to the results of the oppression, but rather focus on the oppression itself).

V. Educate yourself!

VI. Keep our brothers and sisters in your Du'as (prayers).

For all the aforementioned resources, you can also visit the website of our fellow MSA at CUNY Hunter, here!

Once again, don't forget to read the Statement of Solidarity released by Downstate’s Daniel Hale Williams Society and Latino Medical Student Association.

We pray that Allah (God) SWT give us the clarity to see the truth and the strength follow it, and the clarity to see falsehood and the strength to avoid it.

We pray that He makes things better, and more just, for our Black brothers and sisters, that He gives us all the strength and courage to always speak up and stand up for justice, and that He allows us to lend our support to them to the best of our abilities inshaAllah (God willing).

Stay safe, and stay healthy.

BarakAllahu feekum (God Bless you all), SUNY Downstate Muslim Students Association

Saim Siddiqui Dean's Council, SLC COM 2023 M.D. Candidate, SUNY Downstate College of Medicine BA - Biochemistry and Mathematics - Hunter College

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Dear Chanelle Simmons and Catherina Lubin, Thank you for your heartfelt Call For Action against racism. I sympathize and understand why you feel “disheartened and ultimately disappointed.” Please consider four reasons for hope that I, as a somewhat wizened anti-racist, cling to.

First, I have witnessed astonishing reductions of racism. In Ethiopia, where I worked in rural development as a Peace Corps Volunteer (1968 – 1970) during the reign of Haile Selassie, racism among Ethiopians was accepted as a state of nature and it was on stark display 24/7/365. It followed strict color lines, with the dark ‘lowland’ people at the bottom and relatively light skinned ‘highland’ Ethiopians (like Selassie) at the top. That racism was as entrenched as the nation’s hereditary monarchy (Selassie was the Emperor of Ethiopia). In contrast, when I visited my old Ethiopian haunts during 2012, instead of being unrecognized, or recognized but ignored, displays of racism generated reproach and government policies were working to alter Ethiopian attitudes. Perhaps by now, racist incidents engender outrage in Ethiopia.

I hope so.

I have seen real progress here as well. Suffice to say that an African American man was elected POTUS twice in the early 21st Century. If a 12-year-old in the 1950’s asked whether a Black man would ever be POTUS, parents like mine would have thought the question to be endearing, but it would have been like asking parents in the 1850’s whether a human would ever walk on the moon. We have come a long way since the 1950’s ... far enough to have a much firmer grasp on the realization that we have a long way to go.

My second reason for hope is a technical revolution. In 2002, my guess is that about 40 out of a 1,000 people on the street happened to be carrying a camera, and very few of those cameras could record video.

Today, probably more than half of the people on our streets carry a phone that can record video. As you know, when a new-and-improved diagnostic test becomes readily available, there appears to be a spike in the disease that the new test detects – but the spike is actually a spike in detection – and that spike in detection raises awareness and invigorates efforts to cure the disease. Given the current ubiquity of smart-phones, CCTV cameras, and growing pressure for police to wear body cameras, there is room for hope based on the substantial and welcome effect of increased detection of racism. A greater ability to put the real thing in everybody’s face is causing huge increases in awareness ... a critical first step. I think the increase in detection will continue to invigorate efforts to cure the disease of racism.

My third reason for hope has to do with diverse thresholds – the point at which different individuals will act. The killings of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd have brought so many people across their tipping point that we have come substantially closer to gaining the critical mass that will make disdain for racism an overwhelming force.

Which brings up my fourth and newest reason for hope: your email, your courage, your Call For Action, and the solidarity that you have mobilized at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University.

Best regards, John Hartung, Ph D Professor, State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University Department of Anesthesiology

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T HE CAL L TO AC TIO N We affirm the philosophical or religious ideal of nonviolence as the foundation of our purpose, the presupposition of our faith, and the manner of our action.

Nonviolence as it grows from the Judaeo-Christian tradition seeks a social order of justice permeated by love. Integration of human endeavor represents the crucial first step towards such a society.

Through nonviolence, courage displaces fear; love transforms hate. Acceptance dissipates prejudice; hopes ends despair. Peace dominates war; faith reconciles doubt. Mutual regard cancels enmity. Justice for all overcomes injustice. The redemptive community supersedes systems of gross social immorality.

Love is the central motif of nonviolence. Love is the force by which God binds man to himself and man to man. Such love goes to the extreme; it remains loving and forgiving even in the midst of hostility. It matches the capacity of evil to inflict suffering with an even more enduring capacity to absorb evil, all the while persisting in love.

By appealing to conscience and standing on the moral nature of human existence, nonviolence nurtures the atmosphere in which reconciliation and justice become actual possibilities.

Constitution of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee Originally adopted spring 1960, Raleigh, North Carolina, As revised 29 April 1962 48

This powerful message and statement of purpose from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), speaks volumes today — sixty years later. The SNCC was founded in April of 1960 by students committed to nonviolent, direct action approaches and emerged as a result of student-led public protests, in the form of sit-ins, against segregated lunch counters in Greensboro, NC and Nashville, Tennessee.

Today, in 2020 though our vehicle of protests may differ, we continue to push back against the notion of people of color being viewed as “less than” and the lack of value our country continues to place on Black Lives.

We, medical students of color who are concerned about the health and safety of our community, understand that we are called to continue this legacy of nonviolent action. We are mandated by oath and our humanity to denounce human brutality in all forms. And as such, our responsibility is not only to be future medical providers, but also agents for social change.

Sincerely, Students of this Initiative

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INDEX

we appreciate your allyship Ehab Abdelmalek 16 Jacob Aranda 22 Bonnie Arquilla 12 Muslim Students Association 46 Oluwatoyin Bamgbola 39 Maryann Banerji 41 Randall Barbour 30 Frank Barone 13 Anita Beecham-Robinson 42 Audree Bendo 16 Peter Bergold 31 Andrea Bibbig 27 Jeffrey Birnbaum 11 Stacy Blain 31 Melvyn Braiman 33 Suzanne Braun 30 Clinton Brown 20 Laura Bruno 30 John Carter 38 Danielle Casagrande 10 Sumita Chakrabarti 17 Brahim Chaqour 17 Wellman Cheung 23 William Chirico 19 Carl Cohen 20 Jeremy Coplan 40 Maria Corsaro 8 Joan Cracco 8 Eva Cramer 14 Mudar Dalloul 9 John Danias 20 Laura Dattner 16 Jack DeHovitz 17 Inci Dersu 41 Montgomery Douglas 43 Lisa Dresner 9 Olga Dvorkina 29 Americo Esquibies 34 Eve Faber 13 Ayman Fanous 16 Andre Fenton 38 Jeffrey A Feola 40 Miriam Feuerman 19

Stanley Fisher 15 David Fishman 14 Robert Foronjy 15 Steven Fox 19 Stanley Friedman 42 Alan Gintzler 24 Ellen Ginzler 36 Radha Giridharan 11 Bonnie Granat 28 Arthur Grant 43 Christina Guillen 22 Monique Hanono 31 John Hartung 47 Edward Heilman 12 Ivan Hernandez 30 Sabina Hrabetova 33 Llewellyn Hyacinthe 33 Kaiser Islam 27 Rauno Joks 29 Temitope Jose 22 Anthony Joseph 10 Chella Kamarajan 13 Stephan Kohlhoff 27 John Kubie 26 Christopher Lange 44 John Laudi 14 Jenny Libien 8 Paul Maccabee 18 Mariana Markell 28 Samuel Marquez 25 Susana Martinez-Conde 23 Eduardo Mascareno 30 Scot McAfee 10 Isabel McFarlane 35 Ninfa Mehta 45

Lisa Merlin 9 Amy Suss 14 Joseph Merlino 9 Stanley Tam 12 Hillary Michelson 7 Tonya N Taylor 21 Howard Minkoff 13 Gina Taylor 27 Judith Mitchell 39 Kevin Tehrani 10 Herman W. Moreno 17 Meseret Tena 40 Michael Myers 8 Helen Valsamis 41 Mohamed Nakeshbandi 19 Shivakumar Vignesh 42 Nikolaos Papamitsakis 24 Miriam Vincent 18 Katherine Perkins 29 Ramaswamy Viswanathan 13 Christine Persaud 19 Raj Wadgaonkar 11 Mona Pervil-Ulysse 23 Stephen Wadowski 19 Kathleen Powderly 15 Andrea Weiner 31 Everton Prospere 21 Jeffrey Weiss 14 Simon Rabinowitz 32 Sage Wiener 9 Miguel Ramirez 11 Keith Williams 31 TKS Rao 13 David Wlody 14 Deborah Reede 36 Bob Wong 18 Michael Reinhardt 9 Jameela Yusuff 33 Ella-Jean Richards 37 Christopher Roman 8 Daniel Rosenbaum 17 Richard Rosenfeld 34 Richard Sadovsky 16 Subodh Saggi 11 Latif Salam 35 Louis Salciccioli 38 Moro Salifu 26 Alexander Schwartzman 39 Eric Shrier 37 Daniel Siegel 18 Michael Silver 17 Teresa Y. Smith 25 Sheryl Smith 44 Mark Stewart 34 Arnold Strashun 43

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