Black Lives Matter – an Opinion
Over the last week, people across the world are speaking out in outrage due to the murder of George Floyd. He is the latest death in a long string of violent acts against Black people like Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and recently, in our backyard, Steven Taylor. This violence is not new, and these outcomes are caused by the systemic racist system we live under.
As scientists, we cannot ignore the part we play in perpetuating racial injustice, nor its outsized effect on the Black experience. We must confront and remove the barriers that serve to exclude Black people, and all communities of color, to participate fully in the STEM field. We must rebuild our organizations, institutions, and workplaces so that we support, mentor, and protect our Black scientists, to allow them to reach their full potential.
Protest has been an integral part of this country since its founding. We stand in solidarity with the Black community at large, who are and have been fighting for their lives. We embrace the core values of diversity, inclusion, and respect. We support the peaceful protests that are being organized. We find the actions of the Minneapolis police in this instance and in too many others to be reprehensible and completely unacceptable. We look forward to helping lead real action that will build a peaceful society where people of color are treated equally and with dignity.
Black lives matter.
Fanny Frausto, WCC Co-Chair
James Postma, Chair
Alicia Taylor, Chair Elect
Daniel Calef, Member-at-Large
Son Nguyen, Alternate Councilor
Atefeh Taheri, Alternate Councilor
Marcus Cole
Nicki Davis
Charles Gluchowski, Member-at-Large
Linda Wraxall, Member-at-Large
Elaine Yamaguchi, WCC Co-Chair
Patrick S. Lee, Past-Chair, Councilor
Alex Madonik, Councilor
Paul Vartanian, Treasurer
Sushila Kanodia, Councilor
Eileen Nottoli, Councilor
Marinda Li Wu, Past ACS President
Jenelle Ball, Councilor
This is the opinion of the individuals, and not of the American Chemical Society
ACS Statement on the Killing of George Floyd
This week’s edition of Chemical and Engineering News is devoted to features about the contributions of Black scientists, and their comments on the situation.
C&EN Editor-in-Chief: https://cen.acs.org/policy/CEN-stands-solidarity-communities-color/98/i22
