BIPOC COMMITTEE

SEEKING EQUITY

IN HEALTHCARE

Integrative and Holistic Health refers to an approach to health that uses a wide-range of therapies to support health of mind, body, and spirit. We acknowledge that the context in which a person exists has a profound impact on their health. Structures of power within Integrative Health institutions in the United States perpetuate structural racism by not examining or addressing white-dominant leadership structures, membership representation, programmatic content, and advocacy engagement.

The Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Taskforce was created in June 2020 to serve as a catalyst for meaningful transformation towards racial equity in Integrative Health. Four of 5 members in the taskforce are persons of color with various backgrounds.  Since its inception, the taskforce has expanded in scope and will create strategic workgroups for implementation.

“There is no social-change fairy. There is only change made by the hands of individuals.”

 ~Winona LaDuke

UNSHAKABLE

COMMITMENT

We first recommend that the AIHM make a commitment, as an organization, to consider equity and racism when making all future decisions, and to dismantling previous policies that continue to contribute to inequity (including racial, LGBTQ, disability). This commitment needs to stem from a deep and abiding commitment to racial equity. Our institutional commitment must be grounded on the firmly held belief that all people are of equal value. An unshakable commitment to racial equity and ending discriminatory practices is fundamental to the integrity, strength, and effectiveness of the integrative health movement. We all agree that we are stronger, more vital, and more successful as an organization when we are transparent about our decision making, and when the diversity of our organization—in our leadership, our teaching faculty, our staff, and our membership—reflects the diversity of the human population. This isn’t a short-term “project.” It is an integral part of our values as an organization and of the embodied leadership we offer our community and the larger world. We are, by our nature, the optimal organization to speak to the two great interconnected crises of our time: Environmental collapse and Inequity in Health, Wealth, and Education. Integrative solutions which consider all factors that contribute to both of these crises are the only ones that will be effective in long-term change. And we must lead this change—starting with our own organization.