What happened to George Floyd was beyond wrong. This isn’t something that happened “back in my grandparents’ day”—this happened in OUR day. 2020. And it’s inexcusable.
This affects far more than pharmacy, and if you turn a blind eye to what’s going on, you’re not only doing the profession a disservice—you’re doing a disservice to your patients. And if we can’t serve them to the reality of the world we all live in: what’s the point?
It’s not about rioting—it’s about something far deeper than that, and it’s unfortunately our current reality. This is not some one-time occurrence: this is every day, you just might not see or hear about it.
What you see right now, what you are experiencing—the fear, uncertainty, hatred—this is the daily life every single minority has to deal with on a daily basis, and it is SICK. It is WRONG. It is NOT OK.
This is the reality of our broken world, and I am not saying this as a way of saying “I get it” or “I understand what you’re going through”—I do not. There’s no way, because I am not a minority. There’s absolutely no way I can even begin to know what it’s like to even have a day of what you go through, and I will never pretend to say “I know”.
I am NOT an expert nor claim to have “the answer”, but who I AM is a Christian. I AM a child of God. I AM your brother. Part-time Christians cannot defeat full-time devils. The enemy is NOT a person, the enemy is hate, the divine will of Satan. The antidote to hate is LOVE.
Racism is NOT OK—it’s not something to ignore or “give a pass” to. It’s not love, it’s hate, and doing nothing or keeping silent helps nobody.
I am not condoning any type of reaction except for this: if you see something, say something.
“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
"The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
—Mark 12:28-31
I filmed the following in downtown Pittsburgh, PA on Fifth Avenue where protestors gathered. I discuss the implications this has for our profession, our patients, and our community as healthcare providers.
Resource to Stand Out in Your Pharmacy Career:
1. Book- Gen-Z Pharmacist: Dominate Pharmacy School & Script Your Dream Career: bit.ly/35QXlP8
Main Points From this Podcast:
- Why staying silent is a danger to the problem at hand
- How to show up with love and compassion for your brothers and sisters
- 5 reasons saying “I don’t see color” can be dangerous
- Methods to being mindful with your words and sentiments
- The root cause of the issue at hand and what YOU can do to be a part of the solution
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Host: Adam Martin, PharmD, ACSM-CPT, NAMS-CNC
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