Joint action on racism in physics and astronomy

[Peter, Annika H.]

Dear colleagues in the physics and astronomy departments,

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.

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 (https://www.aps.org/programs/innovation/fund/idea.cfm) 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.

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: https://odi.osu.edu/role-land-grant-university-addressing-racial-tensions

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 (https://www.particlesforjustice.org) and the #ShutDownAcademia #ShutDownSTEM movements (https://www.shutdownstem.com/).  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.

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; https://www.aip.org/diversity-initiatives/team-up-task-force) 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.

We list the following websites for books, articles, and media for further learning and a list of actions:
https://www.particlesforjustice.org
https://www.shutdownstem.com/
https://blacklivesmatter.com
https://scienceonapostcard.com/2020/06/05/black-lives-matter-anti-racism-resources/
https://www.particlesforjustice.org/resources
https://astrobites.org/2020/06/03/how-can-we-support-black-astronomers/
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdfplus/10.1086/704991
https://www.stsci.edu/~lchambers/Chambers_ADifferentKindOfDarkEnergy.pdf

Anyone interested in collaborating on the moderation of discussion of any of the physics-specific events is encouraged to email Annika Peter (peter.33 at osu.edu<mailto:peter.33 at osu.edu>).

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.

Cheers,

Annika Peter, PhD
Associate Professor
Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics, Department of Physics, and Department of Astronomy
M2016 Physics Research Building, 191 W. Woodruff Ave., Columbus, OH 43210
614-688-3373 Office / 609-306-9749 Mobile
peter.33 at osu.edu<mailto:peter.33 at osu.edu> / u.osu.edu/apeter<http://u.osu.edu/apeter>
Pronouns: she/her/hers


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