The American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association, American Association for Study of Liver Diseases and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy issued a joint statement condemning racism in the U.S.
The statement comes as protests continue across the country over police brutality toward black Americans, including the death of George Floyd, who was killed during an arrest in Minneapolis May 25.
The organizations condemned all acts of racism, bigotry and discrimination based on race, religion, gender, country of origin and sexual orientation in the country. They then noted that COVID-19 disproportionately harmed the health of many underserved communities and called for healthcare delivery systems to be better.
"We realize, as a profession, that we need to better understand the effects of structural racism on health inequities," the organization wrote before pleading to advocate for increased diversity across all assets of their organizations.
"The reaffirmation of our shared values is more important now than ever before, as we strive for equity together," the statement concluded.
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