Anti-Oppression Statement
GlobeMed's Anti-Oppression Statement acts as a guiding set of beliefs, values, and practices for our organization.
Whether at home or abroad, marginalized groups are often excluded from decision-making that impacts their health. This must change if we are to achieve GlobeMed’s vision of a world in which health – the ability to not only survive, but thrive – is possible for all people.
What is oppression?
Oppression is the use of power to maintain dominance through systems and/or interpersonal behavior, resulting in poorer health outcomes for those with less power.
Our Commitment
GlobeMed commits to anti-oppressive practice, which means shifting power to those members of our network who face structural barriers to accessing power in daily life. We believe all of our students, partners, and neighbors deserve to feel powerful in their journeys to living healthy lives. In fact, more than deserve, we believe everyone must be able to feel powerful if our world is to heal itself. If each of us can tap into our own personal power, we can collectively embrace truth and love. And there lies the pathway to health equity.
Our anti-oppressive practice is grounded in the following commitments:
Understanding oppression: We develop among students and staff an understanding of how systems of oppression impact health globally, domestically, within the global health field, and within our organization through our curriculum and proactive training.
Examining privilege: We examine the privileges we have as an organization and use them to shift power to oppressed groups whenever we can through the strategic allocation of resources and anti-oppressive hiring practices.
Amplifying voices: We listen to, amplify, and incorporate the voices of underrepresented peoples and communities in our decision making and storytelling.
Increasing access: We increase access to GlobeMed for academic institutions that engage a majority of students who belong to social groups that are underrepresented within the higher education system and in the field of global health.
Reducing barriers: We reduce, among our students, partners, staff, and within our board, barriers to participation that stem from socio-economic status, ability, and other factors.
Cultivating inclusion: We host inclusive spaces at all levels of the organization, both in person and virtually, where any individual can participate in GlobeMed bringing their whole and authentic selves.
Developing diversity: We cultivate chapters that reflect the diversity of students on their campuses, a network of universities that reflects the diversity of the United States’ higher education system, and a leadership team that reflects the diversity of our members
Anti-oppressive practice is lifelong work that requires ongoing commitment from individuals and institutions. Therefore, this is a living document that will be revised as our understanding of anti-oppression and its role in the movement for health equity evolves.