BUPC-SJF Discussion Forum

Summer- Fall 2020:

For the 1st edition, the BUPC-SJF and the attendees assembled on a weekly basis to have an informal discussion about a topic pertaining to some form of social injustice. Each forum was led by a trainee who acted as the discussion leader for that session. The forum usually started with a short educational/informational component followed by extensive discussion where attendees openly voiced their feelings and shared their experiences in a safe space devoid of judgements and power differentials. The goal of the forum was to welcome all opinions with an open mind and empower a space for students, faculty and staff of the BU Pulmonary Center dedicated to implementing DEI at the institutional level.

Topics discussed at the BUPC-SJF Discussion Forum included:

• “Why Black Lives Matter”
• Systemic discrimination
• How influencers and political rhetoric shape the concepts of racism in America; implications on BLM and politics moving forward
  AAPI Allyship for BLM
• Inequality in STEM/Academia Part 1: the scope of the problem
• Inequality in STEM/Academia Part 2: How We Can Stop It
• Racial Inequality in Healthcare.
• Being an International Trainee in the US
• Addressing Confederate Statues: What do they represent
• Why I read “IF” by Rudyard Kipling everyday
• Monetizing Racism/Consuming Racism
• Recognizing Colorism
• Whose shoulders are we really standing on? Exploitation of Black bodies in science & medicine
• Hispanic Heritage Month Segment Liberty and Justice for some; the truth about U.S. territories
• Inequalities in Voting
• Hiring Diversity
• Why Language Matters
• Reparations
• URM: Who we are and why schools struggle to matriculate URM students every year; implications on our concepts of diversity in the workplace