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FAACT Statements on Racism, Food Allergy Disparities, and Health Inequities

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A Statement from the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team Condemning Systemic Racism and Recent Acts of Violence and Hate Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

March 26, 2021

In early June 2020, FAACT released a statement condemning systemic racism and confirming our commitment to work each day towards stopping racism and addressing racial, economic, and health inequalities. Today, we re-affirm that commitment to the food allergy community and beyond. We share in our sadness and recognition of the increased violence and hate crimes which are being directed at the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and condemn these acts.

FAACT will continue to learn how to increase our impact while taking the actions to support our constituents, healthcare providers, support group leaders, and members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and FAACT family. Members of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Board will assist FAACT in exploring ways to help our Asian American and Pacific Islander FAACT family members to feel safe at all FAACT-sponsored events.

We are listening. We are learning. We are acting today.

Our commitment remains strong.

We need to do better. We will do better. Not just for today, but every day.

To read our original statement from June, please see below.


To learn more about supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, here are additional resources:

A Statement from the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team about Racism, Food Allergy Disparities, and Health Inequities

June 7, 2020

We at the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT) stand in solidarity with the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) community and condemn systemic racism. Recent devastating events have left many in our nation and in our food allergy community grieving and suffering pain, anger, and fear in which no words can accurately describe. Within our food allergy community, overwhelming racial, economic and health inequities exist. But we can stop systemic racism and address these inequalities.

FAACT is standing up to structural racism and food allergy disparities.

We are listening. We are listening to BIPOC food allergy leaders who have been suffering in our own community and nation to hear their words clearly.

We are learning. We are starting with ourselves and are internally addressing implicit bias, structural racism and diversity and inclusion. We are committed to having the hard conversations. We commit to meeting with BIPOC community leaders to learn how we can support their efforts.

We are acting today. We are committed to long-term sustainable practices, diversity and inclusion in our leadership, volunteers, events, and activities. We commit to encouraging food allergy researchers to focus on food allergy disparities. We commit to racially safe and inclusive events and activities. We will continue to work to support the food insecure and those who are at-risk. We also commit to creating a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Board to help us better understand and serve our community.

We need to do better. We will do better. Not just for today, but every day.

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FAACT Is Learning to Live in Empathy

June 17, 2020
 
“We need to do better. We will do better. Not just for today, but every day.” FAACT made this commitment on June 7, 2020. But as an organization, we knew that we could not do this alone. Our team needed professional guidance and assistance.
 
Starting today, our entire team explores racism, disparities, and inequity by starting with ourselves on a deeply personal level. FAACT knows that change begins with each individual before we can impact the organization. Erin Matthews, LCSW and Nima Novak, founders of Living in Empathy, are leading us in four workgroup sessions, and we are grateful. These group sessions are safe, shame-free spaces for our team to learn about white fragility and our roles, unconscious bias, talking to our children about race, and learning about key phrases and questions to disrupt racist conversations.
 
“We invite our peers and communities to explore this type of work to make change across our nation”, states Eleanor Garrow-Holding, FAACT’s President & CEO. Garrow-Holding says, “We look forward to our experiences and staying true to our long-term commitments and goals.”
 
Please visit Living in Empathy Institute to learn more about the very important and much needed work they are doing.