A response to the George Floyd demonstrations
Posted June 1, 2020
Prof. Derek Applewhite has written a response to the George Floyd demonstrations on behalf of The American Society for Cell Biology's LGBTQA+ Task Force: https://www.ascb.org/society-news/a-response-to-the-george-floyd-demonstrations/
From the piece:
"Why can’t we just stick to science? In principle, science is free from emotion and judgment. It is facts grounded in evidence and should be apolitical and neutral. But science is done by people and so, unfortunately, science is a product of our society—a society built on long-standing inequalities, a society that has actively suppressed the voices of minoritized individuals. If society is racist, so is science...Minoritized voices cannot just be heard; they must be amplified."
"We cannot and should not disentangle our identities from our science. Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths but we are far from utilizing it. We must recognize our contributions to the disenfranchisement Black and minoritized scientist experience and take serious, concrete measures to reverse the inequities that are built into the system. Black lives do matter and we cannot just show up for them, we must take action."
If you’re looking for resources or for ways to support others in solidarity against racial injustice, Reed's Office of Institutional Diversity has compiled a list of resources: https://reedienews.tumblr.com/post/619920094766710784/today-we-want-to-amplify-a-few-organizations-in