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 that were compiled in support of creating an anti-racist climate in STEM and to think about creating plans 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 (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, 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

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