Keck School responds to Chauvin verdict, Daunte Wright’s death, violence against AAPI

This week former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted by a jury of all three charges against him in the killing of George Floyd last year. Narsing A. Rao, MD, Interim Dean of the Keck School of Medicine, released a statement on Thursday in response to the verdict.

At the Keck School of Medicine (KSOM), we have little direct influence on the criminal legal system, but we do have a role to play in addressing racism that is embedded in our institutional life and work. As such, we are obliged to engage in reflection, learning, and planning to address the ways that racism impacts our students, staff, faculty, community partners and patients.

Read the full statement.

Rao also issued a statement following the shooting death of Daunte Wright by police in Minneapolis on April 11. Rao wrote that the killing “reminds us of the sad reality that racism is alive and well. These senseless acts of violence must not be tolerated or ignored. We at KSOM are boldly speaking out to emphatically state that every human being should be valued, respected, included and treated with dignity.”

The Keck School’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and the Office of Social Justice, issued a separate statement condemning “the recent and growing hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community happening throughout the country.”

The statement continues: “We stand with our Asian American and Pacific Islander students and the entire AAPI community at Keck and USC, and offer our support and allyship. And to the greater Keck community at large, we encourage you to speak out and intervene when you witness anti-Asian violence.

For information on how to report, respond to, interrupt, and be an ally to someone being attacked, here are some resources: