Statement of Support

Statement of Support for Black Lives Matter

SUPA's Mission: To bring together and provide support for diverse peoples to create and foster an inclusive and engaged community. To create a space for free communication among diverse groups to promote support and community.

A few years ago, SUPA was formed to address the struggles and inequalities faced by minority groups in physics and astronomy, both within our own department and in our communities. We strive to create a space for discussions on equality and equity, where the voices of the under-represented would be welcomed, heard, and believed. As such, we would be complicit in a racist system to ignore the current national movement that began in response to George Floyd’s murder.

Black lives matter.  The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery are part of the infuriating norm that constantly requires reminders of the humanity of Black people. The atrocities of systemic racism have long ravaged the lives of our Black friends and colleagues, be it at the hands of an unjust justice system or by an academic system that has long profited off of their labor without allowing them an equal space.

The time to act has long since passed. Change must be made. It is our duty as scientists and as humans to enact this change in our department and in our communities. It is easy to make empty platitudes on how we value all lives, but a quick glance at reality shows that is an objectively false statement. “All lives matter” is at best an ignorant statement that negates the reality of Black people in America. If we do not take action we are complicit in the systems of oppression that we claim to oppose.

It is not enough to simply say “Black Lives Matter”.

— It is time to act like it.

On behalf of SUPA,

Yaswant Devarakonda (SUPA co-chair)

Tarini Konchady (SUPA co-chair)

Taylor Hutchison

Resources

Here are some resources cultivated by the SUPA leadership. We urge everyone to participate in actionable change or, at the very least, read these resources and be better informed. To not to do the work to educate youself on these issues is to show your privilege in being able to ignore what so many have never had the abilty to ignore, as their very lives & success depend upon navigating these treacherous spaces carefully.

Resources on the Greater Societal Issues

• Definitions and Elaborations for Keywords in Equity and Inclusion Work Anti-Racism Resource Collection, Resource Sharing Project

• Me and White Supremacy, Layla F. Saad (book, link to website)

• Who gets to be afraid in America: an essay by Dr. Ibram X. Kenedi

• Where do I donate? Why is the uprising violent? Should I go protest? Frequently asked questions by white and/or privileged people, answered by other white and/or privileged people.

Resources for Physics & Astronomy

• "Black Astronomers You Should Know", list of Black astronomers curated by Ashley L. Walker

• BlackLight: Resources on understanding the Black experience, compiled by astronomers

• AIP's TEAM-UP Task Force Report, a two year study on the under-representation of African-Americans in Undergraduate Physics & Astronomy

Black Experiences in Academia

• Black in the Ivory, movement created to highlight the experiences of Black folx in academia (website)

• #BlackintheIvory, stories from Twitter — note from SUPA: take time and read at least 50 of these stories, sit & be uncomfortable, think about how you are complicit in this system, do better.

Black History, Twitter

A thread about racial violence throughout US history, by Erica B. on Twitter.

Ways to Help

Petitions, Donation Links, More Resources

• BlackLivesMatter.ccard.co

• ACLU, Help Protect Civil Liberties (link to donate)

• NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (link to donate)

• Campaign Zero: A series of police reform policies which have been shown to decrease abuse and improve relations, as well as links to studies and articles on places these things were implemented.

• Protests in the Bryan/College Station area.