DE&I Statements News & Announcements

Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is devastated by Monday’s horrific school shooting at the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School

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The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) is devastated by Monday’s horrific school shooting at the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, here in St. Louis. Loss of life in a place of learning is unthinkable, and sadly all too familiar. Classrooms should be safe havens where young people feel welcomed and where learning is celebrated. We have had the honor of being a part of the education process in several area high schools, including Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience with whom we have an ongoing affiliation. We are brokenhearted about the lost lives and the loss of innocence for the adolescents and young adults, as well as staff and administrators, who survived this tragic event at the Central Visual and Performing Arts and Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience. Our community is strong; however, this pain cannot be healed easily. The consequences of gun violence are pervasive and affect entire communities: children, adults, and families.   

All forms of gun violence leave a trail of trauma in communities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of 33,000 people are killed and another 60,000 are injured every year in incidents involving firearms. Firearm violence is increasingly recognized as a public health issue, with groups like the American Public Health Association and the WashU Institute for Public Health’s Gun Violence Initiative or Life Outside of Violence (LOV) program who are working to convene partners to focus on prevention, targeting individuals at highest risk, and promoting multi-disciplinary approaches.  

We must take care of ourselves and reach out to those around us. We have compiled a list of resources to support a deeper understanding on this topic. Similarly, the ODEI will be hosting two Special Perspectives sessions next week (see additional information below) to provide space for the WUSM community to come together.  

Events: 
  • Special Perspectives: Healing Together in the Wake of Shooting at the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis 

On Monday, October 24th the St. Louis community was devasted by a school shooting where lives were lost and hundreds of students, teachers, staff and families there were traumatized. These virtual sessions aim to provide a space where we, as members of the Washington University School of Medicine community, can come together to acknowledge the pain of this tragedy. We will acknowledge the pervasive harm and devastation that gun violence continues to have on our community, region and country. We will hold space for reflections, emotions and calls to action. Please come and encourage your team and colleagues to join so that we can move through this together. Sessions will be hosted virtually on the following days/times: 

Resources & Education:  

Community Organizations:  
National Organizations: