Position on Racial Inequality

Position on Racial Inequality – International Foundation for Autoimmune & Autoinflammatory Arthritis (AiArthritis)



June 7^th, 2020 – Tiffany Westrich-Robertson, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)



The voices of all persons must be heard, considered, and valued as equals. It’s the core of our mission and, for this reason, why we are committed to building and managing platforms that promote equity, justice, diversity, and the amplification of voices.



As a nonprofit organization, our entire reason for being is to improve our community with our mission and to ensure all voices, experiences, perspectives matter. We fight daily to change the paradigm of awareness, and encourage all people to speak up, so that delays in diagnosis do not lead to harm. But unfortunately, the harsh reality is there is systemic racism and injustices happening in the world today that prevent entire communities from being counted, from being heard, and from experiencing justice. The senseless killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, has magnified this issue to a level that discrimination can no longer be downplayed. It must be exposed. It must be addressed and changed.



I am a middle-aged white woman, so I know I can never understand this type of discrimination – but I do my best to support efforts to break the cycle. As an organization, our mission includes diverse outreach and inclusion, stressing health equity and support for communities who experience challenges being heard.  We believe the lives of black people matter, as do other people of color, gender, disability, and any group who feels marginalized. We denounce discrimination, racism, and injustices and we are committed to doing what we can, both by working with our community and within our own platforms, to eradicate these disparities, so people feel respected, valued, and heard.



Tiffany Westrich-Robertson

Chief Executive Officer

International Foundation for Autoimmune & Autoinflammatory Arthritis (AiArthritis)