From the McCormick Lab:
George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others have been victims of police brutality. This is a news headline we hear much too often. We are absolutely disgusted by racism, police brutality and the inequity in the justice system. Police brutality against Black people is an epidemic. Our duty is to help solve this systemic problem. Inaction only represents complicity and perpetuates this plague in our society. As scientists, we have privileged voices that must be used to demand national, local, and institutional changes. We also recognize our duty to educate ourselves, our family, and friends about racial injustice and systemic discrimination against marginalized communities.
We are proud to foster a lab environment comprised of individuals from diverse backgrounds. This strengthens our commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion not only through words, but also through action. As a lab, we have made donations to Black Lives Matter, Steps to Success, and Equal Justice Initiatives. To ensure that our efforts in promoting equity are sustained in the long term and become integrated in our lab’s culture, we will enter into a partnership with SEP/SACNAS/SRTP which will engage in active mentoring and training for underprivileged and underrepresented minority students on an on-going basis.
Additionally, we are committed to helping Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and underrepresented minorities (URM) obtain funding to pursue their academic careers with the intention of promoting the success of diverse individuals within science. Many lab members have been fortunate to be funded by federal agencies and foundations and we will offer help by reviewing grant proposals and providing feedback to any URM/ BIPOC who might be interested (contact our PI, [email protected]).
Our goal is to help create and foster an inclusive environment by serving as active allies. In the McCormick lab, we support Black lives and we celebrate diversity. We hope that through sustainable action, we are contributing to combat systemic racism and create a space for Black and diverse individuals to thrive.
(https://sammykatta.com/diversity)