***BAMA Institute’s sister school, Bay Area Medical Academy is pleased to currently offer Medical Assistant with Phlebotomy Scholarships to ten African American applicants. To apply for a scholarship click here.***
Allyship with Black communities is as much a moral imperative as a requirement of our daily pursuit of educating and empowering our overlooked, disenfranchised communities.
Events following the murder of George Floyd have provided us with a powerful spotlight on the continued injustices perpetrated on the Black community in America. We cannot and will not look away. We cannot and will not stand idle. People are fed up, angry, and tired of not being seen, not being heard, and repeatedly witnessing all too similar tragedies being committed, tragedies born of discrimination and ignorance. What happened to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbrey, Oscar Grant and so many others will not be tolerated.
Systemic injustices against Black Americans are evident everywhere. The current pandemic of COVID-19 exposed these in our healthcare system as the virus is killing Black Americans at a higher rate than any other group. The eruption of frustrations we are witnessing across the country stem not just from recent events, but a centuries old fight.
We stand against police brutality in all forms.
We stand against a criminal justice system that disproportionately targets Black Americans.
We stand against mass incarceration.
We fight against institutional racism in education and healthcare.
We fight against the income gap, the wealth gap and the opportunity gap.
We stand in solidarity with the Black community because we know that society cannot be elevated until all people are lifted and have equitable access to political, educational, and vocational resources. We stand in solidarity because everyone in this country should be able to live free of fear. We believe human decency, kindness and respect are the rights of every human being. These things should not be privileges for some but rights afforded to all.
DoSomething.org, a non-profit organization with the goal of motivating young people to make positive change in their communities and the world, through online and off-line campaigns, has prepared customized guides on how to have a conversation about race with your friends and family. We are sharing their guides here to help our students and our community take immediate action towards Disrupting Racism.
“How White People Can Talk to Each Other About Disrupting Racism”: https://dosome.click/nepjyn
“Non-Black People of Color Need to Start Having Conversations about the Anti-Blackness in our Communities”: https://dosome.click/nwv5bt
And for our Black students and community members, take care of yourself with this DoSomething.org self-care guide: https://dosome.click/ncy5ka
If you would like to be a part of the change, there are several petitions you can sign to effect change through the non-profit organization, Color of Change.
Sign a petition here: https://colorofchange.org/.