[LTER-diversity] LTER community message?

[Hart, Clarisse]

Hi LTER Communications and Diversity Committees –

Over the past few days, I’ve seen the LTER Network Office retweeting a lot of awesome BlackandSTEM and BlackBirdersWeek social media posts (thank you!!!!!), and I am wondering if there are plans to draft and release a specific message for the Network that goes beyond the existing diversity statement… even if it is internal, just to all-LTER, to let everyone - especially the Black community - know that we have their backs. Perhaps if there are not plans, these committees could step up to help.

Jorge Ramos has looped me into some helpful conversations that let me know that ESA is working to release a statement this week, and also planning a Water Cooler chat about how to be an ally in ecology (the precise agenda may have morphed by now). Obviously we want to amplify these messages and events – but it feels like there is more we can/should do. There are a couple more statement examples below.

In solidarity,
Clarisse

Statement of Jamie Williams, President of The Wilderness Society

“Black Americans deserve to feel safe no matter where they are, including in the outdoors. However, the stories we have seen emerge in recent days and weeks underscore with brutal clarity that for too many people, the outdoors has not been the welcoming refuge it should be for all people. The deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, who was killed while going for a run outdoors, George Floyd, who was killed when he was arrested in Minneapolis, and Breonna Taylor, who was killed while resting in her home in Louisville, are all devastating incidents reminiscent of a terrible history of violence against Black people in this country. The story of Christian Cooper, who was harassed and racially profiled while birding in Central Park, further demonstrates how Black Americans must live in fear of racially motivated violence, harassment or intimidation. When Black people cannot move freely in the communities in which we all live, then our public spaces can never deliver on their promise of equitably benefiting all. Each of us deserves a right to clean air, clean water, and access to nature for the health of ourselves and our communities. We stand in solidarity with the African American community against these tragic injustices, and we are committed to working with partners to ensure our shared public lands are safe and welcoming for Black Americans as well as for everyone.”

SACNAS statement
“As an inclusive organization at the intersection of STEM, culture and community, SACNAS condemns the institutional racism and acts of state violence that continue to occur towards our communities of color and that feed the flames of injustice in this country.
SACNAS is committed to advancing historically excluded populations in STEM so we can achieve true STEM diversity, and we stand with Black communities to demand accountability from law enforcement, to condemn racism, and to dismantle oppressive systems. Black lives matter.
We enthusiastically call on other scientific and professional societies to join our efforts to support Black communities and address racial injustice through our respective platforms.
Specifically, SACNAS encourages the STEM community to reflect on the ways in which we have contributed to the upholding of racial injustice and to be dedicated to removing the systemic barriers that have served to exclude persons of color from full participation in society and the scientific enterprise.
The murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, coupled with the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black, Latinx and Native communities have made navigating the hostile national terrain a heavier burden to bear. Please give others grace and grant yourself permission to engage in restorative activities and self-care.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Clarisse Hart, Director of Outreach & Education

Harvard Forest
Harvard University
324 North Main Street
Petersham, MA 01366

(978) 756-6157 phone

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Harvard Forest on the web:
http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu<http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/>
http://www.facebook.com/theharvardforest
http://www.twitter.com/harvardforest and http://www.twitter.com/awitnesstree
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