Today as part of the BLM (Black Lives Matter) movement there is #ShutDownSTEM and #ShutDownAcademia. The Zupan lab will also be participating. We will not be conducting research. We will not be holding meetings. We will not go on as business as usual. We will, however, be actively engaging in a conversation about race, its intersectionality with STEM, and how to make our lab a more equitable space especially for our BIPOC (Black/Indeginous/People of Color) and LGBTQ+ students. We are writing this in solidarity and recognize it is our responsibility as non-Black allies to do the work.
This moment is a time for us to educate ourselves, but to also create and follow through with plans to eradicate racism in STEM and academia. This is to hold us accountable and to support our BIPOC students. This day is not meant to be a one time checklist of being an ally or proving wokeness. Being an ally is not a noun it is a verb – it means constant work and action. As such we will be updating our progress and efforts to the movement on this page.
