Open Letter to Dean Finnegan, University of Minnesota, School of Public Health
Original letter was sent to Dean Finnegan on June 4, 2020.
Dean Finnegan,
We were encouraged by President Joan Gabel’s swift action in cutting contracts with the Minneapolis Police Department in response to the murder of George Floyd on Monday, May 25, 2020. It is out of a continued desire for change that we, Masters of Public Health students of the 2021 cohort of Public Health Administration and Policy, write to you today.
The University of Minnesota School of Public Health (UMN SPH) ranks among the top ten public health graduate programs in the country. Minnesota often touts itself on being a leader in health care and health policy. It is our ethical, moral, and professional obligation to lift oppressed voices and create enduring, systemic change within our institution and greater communities. We can no longer simply react to the injustices and inequities that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color face daily; we must actively work to rectify the injustices and inequities and move toward prevention. The disproportionate rates of COVID-19 infections and deaths, in addition to the insidious acts of police brutality reflect only some of the disturbing ways in which Black, Indigenous, and People of Color do not experience equitable health and wellbeing.
To effectively move towards racial equity and dismantling institutional and systemic racism, we must learn, act, and partner. Thus, we demand the UMN SPH Administration to implement the following changes:
As students of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, we expect to learn and understand the historical and continued impact of structural racism on current public health systems and on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color so we can begin to dismantle the perpetual cycle of harm.
We see the beginning of this work to be the establishment of a new core competency within the School of Public Health that centers around health inequities, racism, and anti-racist action in public health practice. Further, we expect this core competency to be taught by a group of diverse professors, within classrooms of diverse students, and in partnership with our community. This includes an individual required course on structural racism and health inequities. It also requires the development of a similar course curriculum that is integrated throughout all required courses. No single professor can be expected to carry the burden of educating an entire student body on these topics; it requires the commitment and engagement of all students, faculty, and the Administration while backed with committed financial resources. An elective course is not enough.
We need this core competency to learn how to continue anti-racist work in public health systems after graduation, which can only be accomplished with diverse faculty representing widespread expertise, which we more explicitly outline below. Right now, Health Policy and Management faculty do not represent the diversity of Minneapolis. We expect this to change in the SPH2030 plan. We believe a core competency can be adopted by the May of 2021 academic year and would like to begin developing core curriculum and associated course materials be implemented in Fall of 2021.
We expect the University of Minnesota School of Public Health to act by implementing engaged university practices and forming transformative relationships between the surrounding Twin Cities community and our institution.
In messages to our student body, you acknowledged the importance of standing with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in anti-racist ways. We must each do the work individually, but our collective voice and ideologies as an institution must also reflect values rooted in anti-racism. We demand the UMN SPH Administration to do more than list equity and diversity goals under SPH2030 and Diversity & Inclusion policies. We expect the UMN SPH Brand and Mission and Values to fulfill anti-racist practices that is not limited to, but includes the following:
- Hire at least one new Black professor in each SPH department by the 2021 academic year and increase hires each year thereafter.
- Increase Black, Indigenous and other Faculty of Color within the SPH upper administration team.
- Diversify the SPH student body to include at least 20% Black students by the 2021 academic year to reflect the broader demographics of the Minneapolis community.
As an institution of power, we must put action behind our words and actively build transformative relationships with the community and neighborhoods in which we reside. This work begins by centering UMN SPH around the four engaged university practices: service learning, community partnerships, leveraging assets, and meeting community needs. Certainly, important work has begun here through initiatives such as Community Based Participatory Research, the Health Equity Work Group, and the Equity Diversion and Inclusion Team. However, by shifting toward a comprehensive approach with dedicated funding streams to infuse anti-racist practices in all sectors of UMN SPH operations, research, and education rather than individual work groups, we will begin to dismantle institutional power and redistribute it within the Twin Cities community. We expect the UMN SPH will open opportunities and resources to students to engage with Twin Cities communities to establish sustainable relationships that support the betterment of communities, and back these newly-built relationships with ongoing resources. This work will be ongoing and we want to uplift voices that are currently working to establish these community partnerships. We see this as an opportunity for student engagement and expect action before the next academic year starts.
We expect the University of Minnesota School of Public Health to partner with elected officials to declare racism as a public health emergency within Minnesota.
It is well-established that racism is a root cause of inequities and the injustices that caused George Floyd’s murder. The UMN SPH has strong relationships with elected officials and it is time to use this influence to support Minneapolis Councilwoman Andrea Jenkins’ call for racism to be declared a public health emergency. This declaration would allow for groups to come together to meaningfully develop and review policies, procedures, and activities to dismantle structural and institutional racism and white supremacy, so that racism can be acknowledged and researched as a social determinant of health. This will require strong advocacy from the School of Public Health and commitment to ongoing work, as explained by Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Syke’s in her call for racism to be declared a public health crisis. We expect the School of Public Health to be a leader and create opportunities for policy students to engage.
These efforts will take time, financial resources and dedication. We have seen the Administration and Faculty quickly implement curriculum changes, form response and action teams, and partner with external agencies in response to the spread of COVID-19. We expect this same urgency and commitment applied to the killing of George Floyd, other Black people nationwide, and the enduring racial oppression and injustice that is within our institution, city, and state. We stand here today ready to work with the UMN SPH Administration in furthering this conversation with action, and committing to and implementing change. Words are simply not enough. We cannot settle. We must push forward knowing that any action will never be enough.
Sincerely,
Members of the Class of 2021, Public Health Administration and Policy
Sydney Bernard
Maria Bertrand
Emma Cook
Rachel Cruz
Doaa Elgaali
Mary Gilbertson
Erika Guenther
Angela Han
Hope Hoffman
Jose Huape
Ashley Millenbah
Kelly Moeller
Claire Nyquist
Jake Ratanawong
Michaela Read
Emma Riebel
Nath Samaratunga
Keelia Silvis
Kritika Singh
Mary Siskaninetz
Pardis Stenoien
Jill Tanem
Sharon Uchegbu
Caitlin Wu Varquez
Malik Williams
Authors’ note: Since the original date of this letter, June 4, 2020, several additional demands have been made of the University of Minnesota, School of Public Health including further cutting relationships with the Minneapolis Police Department and specific scholarship opportunities for Black and other students of Color at the School of Public Health.
Authors also created a Google Form for UMN SPH students and Alumni to sign on to this letter HERE.
