Originally posted June 20, 2021. Re-posting to reaffirm our lab’s support of and commitment to these issues today.
PI Position Statement:
We have been told implicitly and explicitly that “politics” and “professionalism” do not mix. I do not view anti-racism as political, and I do not believe it is controversial – but historically aware and responsive – to support any movement whose purpose is equality, justice, and compassion for Black lives, specifically. This extends to other minoritized groups including those of Indigenous, Hispanic, Asian, Asian-American, or Pacific Islander heritage, as well as those holding LGBTQIA+ identities, because of the much higher rates of discrimination they have faced in American society both historically and currently.
AK 2020, AK 2023
PI Action Statement
My expectation is that our group is a leader locally and nationally in our actions to support equality and justice in scientific spaces and beyond. What does this look like specifically?
As PI of this group, using my voice to support causes including Black Lives Matter, and by speaking up in White-led spaces in support of this work. I will also show up as a listener and learner in other spaces. I will work to bring related concerns up the chain of leadership at the university and at national associations and institutions to which I belong.
If you are in a position of power or privilege in our lab or scientific communities, please speak up when you hear someone (including me) using language or acting in a way that does not promote these values. We are all learning at all times. We are not in the business of “canceling” someone because they make a misstep, but we must identify missteps to address them. Consider this my explicit request and permission to raise examples or questions related to my discourse or practice that can help make them more inclusive or equitable. You could bring these up at any time you feel most comfortable (e.g., during our one-on-one meetings, in our small group or whole lab gatherings if you feel it appropriate). We also have yearly Individualized Development Plan meetings, where I will ask about our anti-racist learning and actions
If you identify as a scientist in an underrepresented group, please do not feel that it is your responsibility to take on this work - you do not owe the lab unpaid labor to educate us about justice and equity issues. I expect those with privilege, like myself, to take the lead on learning about and leading our group in anti-racist actions.
You have my permission and support to use professional time to do work on justice in science, academia, and related spaces. I volunteer as part of the Diversity Committee and Early Career Committee at my national associations (AHA/ATVB). You have my support in using professional time to take part in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives within your scientific communities and University. Please let me know how I can support your efforts to deepen scientific commitments to ethics, justice, and human rights.
If you possess White privilege, please know that most “diversity” committees are comprised almost entirely of scientists from minoritized groups. I challenge you, in particular, to volunteer and work on these committees to reduce the extra work these scientists have to do and to be a part of the hard work involved. For some ideas, please consider: https://sojo.net/articles/our-white-friends-desiring-be-allies.
The diseases we work towards ending disproportionately affect people from minoritized backgrounds compared to their white counterparts. Despite this, the highest standards of care are not available to these same minoritized communities. In addition, diseases like lupus (which predominately affects Black communities) are significantly underfunded by national funders and foundations. How do we address these health disparities in our role as basic biomedical scientists?
By rigorously discussing and addressing how these diseases can be modeled in the lab using samples, population data, and,
By making sure that human samples we use are representative of the people who are most impacted by disease (for example, we should be harnessing data sets like the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) cohort in our research) and,
By making sure that our models, however pre-clinical, take into account non-male physiology.
