12 June 2020
A statement from the President of BSR, Dr Sanjeev Patel
The Black Lives Matter movement has seen global protests mobilise across the world following the killing of George Perry Floyd Jr in Minneapolis. Light has been shed on inequality, health and prospects, and how institutions that are meant to protect us have unfairly treated Black people, not just in the USA, but globally. These events have shocked and outraged. They have also educated and inspired. There is momentum behind the urgent need for positive change and meaningful action.
At the same time there has been a disproportionately higher number of deaths due to COVID-19 among people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. This is troubling and needs urgent attention to work out why and address it.
Like many other organisations we have taken time to reflect. We want to make it clear we support our members, our staff and the aim of the Black Lives Matter movement. We must ensure racism has no place in society.
As an organisation committed to encouraging inclusion, equality and diversity we have held a belief that we are doing the right thing. We are proud of our diverse membership, we are proud of our efforts to celebrate rheumatology as a specialty and the opportunities within it. But are these things to really be ‘proud’ of? Shouldn’t this just be the norm and standard practice everywhere? Shouldn’t equality just be reality?
At BSR we have a set of core values, two of which have never been more important:
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Openness – we are inclusive and accessible
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Collaboration – we listen, we learn, we improve
As President, I will ensure these aren’t just token words. We must always be here to listen, learn and improve.
Our three-year strategy revolves around BSR being a leadership voice. Well, with leadership comes responsibility. I am determined that we must use our voice to ensure genuine health equality in access to care for patients.
We must also lead the way in opening up careers in rheumatology, so that a rewarding career is a real and viable option for Black students.
Leaders need to lead by example and acknowledge shortcomings. We are examining our practices across the board. We are looking at our existing work in clinical data audits, promoting rheumatology as a career, conferences and more to build on initiatives already in place and to ask what more can be done.
We will work closely with other medical societies/charities to support broad initiatives to improve prospects for professionals and patients from Black ethnic groups. And we want to take our members on this journey, to continue to showcase achievement, to invite them to share their experiences, insight and ideas.
Whether individually, as an employer or as a membership community, these recent weeks have made us look inwards, to question what we do and reflect on what we must do better. This can only be a positive move forward. This will be a continual learning process, not a single statement or gesture, it’s a shared vision of progression, not oppression.
Your views matter to me and, in the spirit of the BSR value of openness, I invite you to contact me directly by emailing bsrpresident@rheumatology.org.uk.
I will keep you up to date with our progress in the future.
BSR is an independent voice and does not align to any political view, ideology or party. BSR operates under the guidance of the UK Charity Commission.