June 5, 2020
The Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors acknowledges and recognizes racial discrimination in Ontario as a key social determinant of health and strong driver of health inequities. Although recent events in Canada and the U.S. have brought this issue to the forefront, it is important to acknowledge that racism is not a one-time event. Nor is it in the past. Racism is very much a part of everyday life for people of colour in our community such as staff, member Naturopathic Doctors and the patients we serve.
The OAND is committed to dismantling racism both within the organization and in the naturopathic profession as a whole. We are currently investigating how we can best support and advocate for our members of colour in this regard. This will include CE courses and resources on uprooting racism, panel discussions to raise awareness, or other initiatives. We are an association of members and need your input on what else we must do to eliminate systemic racism and discrimination. We are asking OAND members to help us maximize the impact of these efforts.
We stand in strong solidarity and empathy with our Black naturopathic community members. We recognize the significant direct impact that recent events are having on you and your loved ones’ well-being. We encourage members who have been directly or indirectly impacted by systemic racism to reach out to us if there are any supports we can offer during this challenging time. We look forward to working together as a strong community to dismantle racism on a personal and institutional level.
