Hepatitis B Foundation stands in solidarity with black communities, calls for action against institutional racism

Doylestown, Pa., June 4, 2020 

The tragic killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and Ahmaud Arbery in recent weeks have highlighted institutional racism and injustice towards Black Americans and communities of color in the United States. We have seen lives tragically lost due to institutionalized racism and police brutality. This comes at a time when communities of color are already disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 in addition to a number of other health disparities, including hepatitis B. These recent events are devastating to communities of color in the U.S.

Institutionalized racism is a public health crisis, and we must all work together to address it. As a nonprofit organization, the Hepatitis B Foundation has spent 30 years dedicated to improving the lives of underserved and underrepresented communities. We are committed to working with our colleagues around the world to achieve social justice for all communities. Black lives matter and we strongly stand with our partners and communities fighting for justice and equity.

As a national public health institution, we are aware that an individual’s socioeconomic status, ethnicity and zip code can dictate their life expectancy and overall health outcomes. Many of the populations we devote our work to are communities of color and we will continue to fight together to address health inequities for our most vulnerable populations as we have always done. We call on our leaders to take action that will contribute to positive change in both culture and policy to ensure the safety and health of our most vulnerable communities. We at the Foundation are committed to self-reflection on how we can improve as an organization of diversity and inclusion. We will continue to advocate on behalf of the communities we serve, and to work with our partners around the U.S. and the world to repair the systems that enable racism to impact the lives and health of our communities.

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