Justice for George Floyd: A Message from CUIMC, NYP, and Weill Cornell

Dear Colleagues, 

While today’s verdict in the George Floyd murder trial will never restore the life that was lost, our justice system succeeded in holding an individual accountable for his actions, which resulted in the needless and tragic death of another human being. 

In the wake of this and other tragedies, we are writing to restate our collective commitment to fight against racism. We won’t stop advocating for improvement in our justice system, ceasing use of excessive force, and equal treatment for all, as we do our part to help build a just society. In this, we remain resolute. 

We must stand together against racism and hatred of all forms and of all groups. We will continue to provide resources, programs and support that help educate us about differences among our many cultures and best practices for interacting with others, whether they are colleagues, patients, or fellow members of our community. We will conduct bystander and upstander training so we can all become allies, knowing that only through allyship can we overcome the systemic racism that pervades our society and is at the root of so much of the inequity that we are witnessing. 

Eliminating racial injustice across our society is one of the defining challenges of our time. Discrimination must not be tolerated in higher education, health care, biomedical research, and in the communities in which we live, work and teach. 

Augustine M.K. Choi, MD 

Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean, Weill Cornell Medicine Provost for Medical Affairs, Cornell University 

Anil Rustgi, MD 

Interim Executive Vice President and Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine Columbia University Irving Medical Center 

Steven J. Corwin, MD 

President and Chief Executive Officer, NewYork-Presbyterian 

Laura L. Forese, MD 

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, NewYork-Presbyterian