(PO-023) George Floyd: The Grassroots Response of a Dental School

Author: Arpun Johal – Dental Student, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry
Submitter: Arpun Johal – Dental Student, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry

Last summer, Minneapolis was the center of the largest civil rights movement in present history following the murder of George Floyd. In its wake, dental students at the University of Minnesota mobilized in solidarity with the Black community and called for change. They formed the group Better Together to supplement the dental school’s diversity, inclusion, and equity culture in collaboration with faculty, staff and the community. Better Together organizes workshops with the goals of a) providing space for BIPOC dental students to share their lived experiences with bias and prejudice b) encouraging students to participate in these discussions and learn from the experiences of their classmates and c) learning skills and strategies to be better allies. 

Methods: Better Together holds workshops to discuss issues of racism, bias, and prejudice in the dental school community while providing support and resources to become better allies to marginalized groups. The first meeting focused on the recent anti-Asian hate crimes and how to better support the AAPI community. A guest speaker and AAPI students shared their experiences followed by a small group discussion. Each workshop concludes with a handout relaying allyship and coping strategies, as well as various resources that students can utilize to build their skill set of advancing diversity and inclusion in the dental profession.

Outcomes: Ten percent of the student body (n=40) participated in this workshop. Students provided positive feedback about the quality of the discussion and how it encouraged them to dig deeper. Students valued the opportunity to learn from each other and hear their classmates’ personal experiences. Students left the workshop feeling motivated to continue these conversations and attend future workshops.

Conclusion: This bottom-up response of students in collaboration with faculty and staff promotes a sustainable model of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion culture in dental school.