Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society
2020-2021 Anti-Racism Library Collection Dedication
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society 2020-2021 Anti-Racism Library Collection Dedication Cooper Medical School of Rowan University’s chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society developed this collection in collaboration with our incredible librarians. As future physicians, we have an obligation to address systemic racism both in medicine and our society. Our school’s location in Camden, New Jersey, means that we have a particular responsibility to educate both ourselves and our medical community about the injustices that have plagued Black Americans. In many cases, these injustices have been perpetuated and legitimized by the medical field, as in the case of Dr. Susan Moore who died of COVID-19 in December 2020, in Indianapolis, after neglectful treatment by hospital staff. In 2020, we saw numerous Black Lives Matter protests in response to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many others, as well as the disproportionately devastating toll the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked on communities of color. We believe that conversations and education about race are long overdue, and have now become even more urgent and essential. Our hope is that this collection will serve as a resource for current and future physicians and healthcare professionals. As students dedicated to humanism in medicine, we know that there cannot be true respect, dignity, and compassionate care for our patients while racism continues to impact our profession and our society.
Library Dedication Statement
The CMSRU Library is honored to partner with students in the CMSRU chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society to provide this collection to all faculty, staff, and students. As a library staff we embrace our role as disseminators of all information, and hope that the information, knowledge and wisdom found within this collection will contribute locally at CMSRU and Cooper Hospital to this key time of change for all in our country. We must never forget that, despite being denied a library card, by the public library in Troy, Alabama, because of his race, the iconic civil rights leader and longtime congressman, John Lewis, loved libraries. In his book, March: Book One, Lewis shared his thoughts, “I loved going to the library. It was the first time I ever saw Black newspapers and magazines like JET, Ebony, the Baltimore Afro-American, or the Chicago Defender. And I’ll never forget my librarian.” Similar to Lewis’ experience, these thoughtfully selected titles may also offer a first time for some to have access to a well thought out collection on race and racism, especially for those who have wanted to better understand but haven’t known where to start. It may also offer the opportunity for some to expand their interest, knowledge, and beliefs about race, racism and social justice. Collections such as this may lead to sensitive and challenging conversations, but hopefully we can all trust and find comfort in the words of the poignant African American author, James Baldwin, "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."