To all current and future patients of Northwest Integrative Medicine:
We write to you in a time of great political unrest regarding issues that are near and dear to our hearts as naturopathic physicians: the rights and equality of all people, especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). We stand as a team committed to doing the work to serve individuals from all racial and ethnic backgrounds with the highest level of integrity, consistency, and compassion. We also acknowledge that our initial silence in regard to this matter may have been deafening to some, though it has been necessary to provide space and time for us to listen and learn.
To our BIPOC patients, friends, colleagues, and community members: we hear you, we see you, and we commit to being active allies in the fight for racial equality. The last two weeks following the murder of George Floyd (preceded similarly and wrongfully by the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor) have been full of sadness, fear, rage, and more. This is a time of unprecedented unrest that will hopefully spark lasting change across the country. We support the fight for justice.
We are committed to the health and happiness of the local Black community as well as the many other people of color in Portland and beyond. NWIM stands in solidarity with all groups working toward progress in the fight for equality. Racism and racist attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors have not and will not be tolerated at Northwest Integrative Medicine.
We as an institution commit to educating ourselves on the history of and progress related to racial and other marginalized communities’ suffering and journey to equality. We will also stand with our local community and are researching organizations to financially support. Please also look out for social media and blog content that will highlight BIPOC in medicine and science. From now on, we plan to showcase BIPOC leaders and lift BIPOC voices and actions however we can.
As always, we strive to be a positive, compassionate source of information, support, and education for our patients and local community. We acknowledge that we will never fully understand the Black and BIPOC experience in America and have not done enough in the past. We will stand with you from now on.
Ultimately, we can talk about allyship until we are blue in the face. But to be one is something different. Let’s all try and take on one more thing that we can do this week in service of being more actively anti-racist. Not because we aren’t already stretched thin or because it will be easy. But because it’s important enough that it’s worth it to stretch ourselves, to be uncomfortable, to put in the work.
In solidarity,
The Northwest Integrative Medicine Team