[HubbardBrook] #ShutDownSTEM #Strike4BlackLives tomorrow (June 10)

[Jackie Matthes]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to be sure that you all heard about the #ShutDownSTEM
#Strike4BlackLives strike/day of action tomorrow (June 10). The goals of
the strike are to use "the time for white and non-Black People of Color
(NBPOC) to not only educate themselves, but to define a detailed plan of
action to carry forward." Even if you can't join the strike tomorrow, I
urge you to explore the resources <https://www.shutdownstem.com/resources>
that were compiled in support of creating an anti-racist climate in STEM
and to think about creating plans <https://www.shutdownstem.com/action>
moving forward.

As a white woman who loves the outdoors I too often forget the racial
privilege that I experience when I don't think twice about doing the thing
that I love, and we all need to do the work of supporting black scientists
and creating a more inclusive STEM community. I encourage you all to
read Corina
Newsome's interview in Science Magazine
<https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2020/06/i-cant-even-enjoy-blackbirdersweek-organizer-shares-her-struggles-black-scientist>
(one of the organizers of #BlackBirdersWeek on Twitter). She points out
that accountability is a critical element to creating a less racist STEM
community, and to that end I'd also encourage folks to participate in
a Bystander
Intervention Training virtually
<https://www.ihollaback.org/bystander-resources/>, or in-person if you get
the opportunity. Speaking up against racism (and other forms of
discrimination) in the moment can be extremely uncomfortable, particularly
in a predominantly white environment, but also extremely damaging or even
life-threatening to the person on the receiving end, and it's helpful to be
trained in the tools to intervene.

I'm happy to talk more with folks about any of these topics at any point.
They're hard, we're all learning and make mistakes, and there's no easy
fix, but they're critically important and I encourage all of us to think
about what we can do within our different communities, including our
research community at Hubbard Brook.

Thanks for reading, and take care,
Jackie

-- 
Jaclyn Hatala Matthes
Assistant Professor
Dept. Biological Sciences, Wellesley College
Mail: Science Center, 106 Central St., Wellesley, MA 02481
Phone: 781-283-3159
Pronouns: she/her
http://matthesecolab.com
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