As student-led uprisings and protests grow across the country and around the world, the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) reaffirms its commitment to its mission of educating and empowering diverse future physicians to become unapologetic advocates for justice in healthcare. Today, we stand in solidarity with the students of numerous institutions including Columbia University, NYU, MIT, Yale, University of Michigan, Emerson College, Tufts University, Washington University, Vanderbilt University, UNC Chapel Hill, and more.
Across the country, students are rising up in solidarity protests, demanding immediate action to address the ongoing genocide in Gaza. As the death toll surpasses 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza, of which almost half are children, AMSA continues to condemn the attacks on innocent civilians and reiterates our call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all remaining Israeli hostages, unfettered access to humanitarian aid wherever it is needed, and halting the transfer of arms to Israel. Furthermore, we condemn the role the United States has played as a funder and arms dealer, directly enabling this genocide. We call on the US to cease funding and arming genocidal State violence and to stop impeding global efforts to respond to this genocide through entities such as the UN. We also echo the students’ voices in calling their universities to divest from for-profit weapons manufacturers, whose products inflict massive death and destruction. Institutions that claim to be about education have no business being in the business of global arms production. It is imperative that we speak up and take action against any and all forms of injustice and systemic violence, including the genocide occuring in Gaza, and we commend the bravery of these students in leading the charge for justice.
The reactions and actions taken by the power-holders of many of these universities has also further revealed the extent to which these institutions are aligned with the current power structure that maintains and perpetuates systemic injustices and global violence. Many universities are working with militarized local police forces to arrest students and faculty; some universities have expelled and evicted students; and many of them are suppressing students’ right to free assembly by conflating their critiques of the State of Israel with antisemitism. AMSA condemns these actions taken by many universities as violent, unethical, immoral, and fascistic, utterly incompatible with any claim to democratic principles and practices.
Given the manner in which many universities have reacted to the student-led uprisings and protests, it is more than evident that universities are generally unwilling to function as sites where students and young people can freely step into their power, speak with moral clarity, and take action to reshape the world structures that they are inheriting. Nevertheless, students are claiming this space at their universities, in spite of institutional resistance or refusal to acknowledge their right to do so. Students also need spaces outside of their universities to come together and organize their collective power. In recognition of this need, AMSA is committed to serving students as a space for student activism. As a national, independent, student-led organization, AMSA is a node and network for students to build their power, strengthen their voice, and organize for action.
In just a month, AMSA’s annual meeting, Future Physicians for Change, will convene hundreds of future physicians in Washington, D.C May 30 – June 1, 2024. This gathering has long served as a platform for premedical and medical students to address pressing healthcare issues. This year’s agenda will include, but is not limited to, discussions on abortion restrictions, DEI funding cuts, attacks on LGBTQIA+ healthcare, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
In solidarity, we have established dedicated brave spaces to empower all students in their advocacy efforts, fostering dialogue and support to address injustices in Gaza, ensuring that all members are well-informed and actively involved in advocacy endeavors. As students, we are claiming our role in shaping the future of medicine and society, advocating for justice and equity in healthcare worldwide.
