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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Dear colleagues in the physics and astronomy departments,
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">The recent murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor (the latter two by police); the lingering pain over the murders of Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, and too many others; and the violence inflicted
on protestors are highly visible reminders of how deeply embedded violence and injustice toward Black Americans remains to this day. Racism is steeped in American culture, including academia as a whole, and physics and astronomy specifically.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">In the next few weeks, you’ll be getting a series of emails from me and other team members of the physics department’s successful APS Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Alliance (APS-IDEA) application (</span><a href="https://www.aps.org/programs/innovation/fund/idea.cfm">https://www.aps.org/programs/innovation/fund/idea.cfm</a><span style="color:black">)
on events related to exploring and acting against racism, narrowing in on the context of physics and astronomy. Please join us for these events on this important topic.
</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">First, we encourage you to attend the Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s “The Role of the Land-Grant University in Addressing Racial Tensions” panel on Monday, June 8 3-4:30 pm. You can register here:
</span><a href="https://odi.osu.edu/role-land-grant-university-addressing-racial-tensions">https://odi.osu.edu/role-land-grant-university-addressing-racial-tensions</a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Second, we will host a ``call to action” Zoom discussion on Wednesday, June 10 (time and LINK TBD), part of the Particles for Justice Strike for Black Lives (</span><a href="https://www.particlesforjustice.org">https://www.particlesforjustice.org</a><span style="color:black">)
and the #ShutDownAcademia #ShutDownSTEM movements (</span><a href="https://www.shutdownstem.com/">https://www.shutdownstem.com/</a><span style="color:black">). Our particle-physics colleagues call on non-Black academics to refrain from business-as-usual on
June 10 and channel their energy toward education on and actions against anti-Blackness in academia and our broader global context. The day is simultaneously meant as a day of rest for Black academics. Expect a follow-up email at the beginning of next week
on the time and format of the Zoom discussion.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Third, we will be hosting a series of town halls on anti-Black racism in physics and astronomy within the context of broader American culture, and on the recommendations of the American Institute of Physics Task
Force to Elevate African American Representation in Undergraduate Physics & Astronomy (TEAM-UP;
</span><a href="https://www.aip.org/diversity-initiatives/team-up-task-force"><span style="color:blue">https://www.aip.org/diversity-initiatives/team-up-task-force</span></a><span style="color:black">) on how to double the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded
to African Americans in physics and astronomy by 2030. These town halls will be scheduled during the second half of June. Expect more emails about the focus, date/time, and format of the town halls. We anticipate more town halls on related topics to continue
through the academic year.</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">We list the following websites for books, articles, and media for further learning and a list of actions:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.particlesforjustice.org">https://www.particlesforjustice.org</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.shutdownstem.com/">https://www.shutdownstem.com/</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blacklivesmatter.com">https://blacklivesmatter.com</a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://scienceonapostcard.com/2020/06/05/black-lives-matter-anti-racism-resources/">https://scienceonapostcard.com/2020/06/05/black-lives-matter-anti-racism-resources/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.particlesforjustice.org/resources">https://www.particlesforjustice.org/resources</a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://astrobites.org/2020/06/03/how-can-we-support-black-astronomers/">https://astrobites.org/2020/06/03/how-can-we-support-black-astronomers/</a><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdfplus/10.1086/704991">https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdfplus/10.1086/704991</a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.stsci.edu/~lchambers/Chambers_ADifferentKindOfDarkEnergy.pdf">https://www.stsci.edu/~lchambers/Chambers_ADifferentKindOfDarkEnergy.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Anyone interested in collaborating on the moderation of discussion of any of the physics-specific events is encouraged to email Annika Peter (<a href="mailto:peter.33@osu.edu">peter.33@osu.edu</a>).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We will provide more information on our APS-IDEA team and the network of institutions involved in the near future, after our first network workshop this week.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Cheers,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black">Annika Peter, PhD<br>
Associate Professor<br>
Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics, Department of Physics, and Department of Astronomy<br>
M2016 Physics Research Building, 191 W. Woodruff Ave., Columbus, OH 43210<br>
614-688-3373 Office / 609-306-9749 Mobile<br>
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><a href="mailto:peter.33@osu.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:#0563C1">peter.33@osu.edu</span></a></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black"> / </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><a href="http://u.osu.edu/apeter"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:#0563C1">u.osu.edu/apeter</span></a></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black"> <br>
Pronouns: she/her/hers<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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