Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Departmental BLM Statement
Our hearts are filled with sadness and outrage by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many other Black Americans whose deaths have been caused by racism and police brutality. The subsequent acts of violence against peaceful protesters who dared say their names further adds to our grief. Black Lives Matter. While we in the Department of Biological Sciences cannot fully understand the pain felt by our Black students, we want to say that we recognize the trauma and fear caused by recent events. We also acknowledge, however, that merely extending a statement of virtue signaling would be insufficient support. Police brutality is not an isolated instance of racism. Such injustice is perpetuated by years of systemic White supremacy, institutionalized oppression, and slavery rebranded as modern discrimination that has infected many aspects of our country. We are ashamed that higher education has not been immune from such racism. Now is the time for action and change.
What then, can we as a community do to make a difference against generations of inequality? The Department of Biological Sciences will begin at home. Here, at Barnard, in the halls of Altschul, we will endeavor to create a safe space for all students. We are committed to taking thoughtful and directed action together and educating ourselves on what we can do to support and uplift our Black students and other students of color. First, to open lines of communication, we will assemble a department-level working group of students, staff, and faculty to define what meaningful change would look like to students. With the mission of addressing the impact of racism on science and education, the group will meet monthly and generate action items to be considered in the areas of awareness, introductory course pedagogy, major curriculum, and faculty hiring. Second, to promote introspection, the faculty will convene a College-mandated Academic Program Review. External reviewers will specifically identify areas of racial bias, both conscious and unconscious. Third, to increase representation and celebrate the contributions of a wide-range of scholars, the Department will commit funding to a new seminar series that brings BIPOC scientific leaders to Biology. The speakers will address cutting-edge research as well as personal challenges faced in a career where the odds are stacked unfairly from the beginning.
These are beginning steps that we can take now in preparation for more. We encourage students to discuss these steps with faculty and staff; we are listening. We know that our community commitment to these efforts, much like the powerful voices of students fighting for justice and equity all over the United States, will grow over time to establish sustained and meaningful change.
| Philip V. Ammirato | Paul E. Hertz | Nicole Rondeau |
| Elizabeth P. Bauer | Chisa Hidaka, MD | Abigail Ryckman |
| Hilary Callahan | Allison J. Lopatkin | Rishita Shah |
| James Casey | Jennifer Mansfield | Jonathan Snow |
| Colin Flanagan | Jared Meek | Stephen L. Sturley |
| Melissa Flores | JJ Miranda | Henry Truong |
| Nick Gershberg | Brian Morton | Louise Urien |
| John I. Glendinning | Basil Perkins | |
| Jessica Goldstein | Ali Pischedda |
At the end of June 2020, we released the above signed statement in support of Black lives. This page will be a dedicated resource for the Barnard Department of Biological Science's anti-racist work. We are committed to beginning this work here at home, in Altschul. In recognition of the ways in which biology has been used to justify dangerous ideology and to perpetuate systemic racism—from eugenics to scientific racism to biological determinism—we have committed to taking meaningful action that aims to dismantle these systems in our community, seeking to identify the ways in which we contribute to these and to make meaningful and lasting change for what the student experience of being a biologist at Barnard is really like. We aim to review all aspects of our community, from our pedagogical approaches, to our major curricular requirements, to our research mentoring practices.
Our first action item in July has been to begin organizing a working group of students, faculty, staff, and alumni, which will convene its first meeting in late summer once student schedules have been reorganized. The goals of this group include, but are not limited to: providing a space to discuss issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion within our department; defining what meaningful change would look like to students; organizing and planning departmental events including a seminar series intended to highlight and uplift the voices of BIPOC STEM professionals; and generating action items to be considered in the areas of awareness, course pedagogy, major curriculum, research, and faculty hiring. To join this group, please click the link above and fill out our working group questionnaire. Answers can be modified after submission, in order for participants to be able to update their availability as it changes.
In the meanwhile, in order to educate ourselves on what racial justice at Barnard could look like, members of the department have been attending weekly morning assemblies led by VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Ariana González Stokas and will continue to do so for the duration of the summer. These assemblies seek to educate attendees on the mindful practice of anti-racism, on racial justice and racial capital in higher education, and much more. Our next agenda item will be led by the faculty who will convene a College-mandated Academic Program Review.
This is only the beginning of our work, and to us, it is crucial to receive input from students and alumni. Questions, comments, ideas, criticisms, etc. can be sent to the department by contacting the department administrator, Melissa Flores (mflores@barnard.edu). We look forward to working with you in transforming the department that has brought us all together so that it serves every member of our community.
Header Image by Kon Karampelas from Pixabay