June 5th, 2020

Dear AMS and UMN community,

We, the leadership of the Association of Multicultural Scientists, mourn the murder of George Floyd, bear witness to the pain endured by his loved ones, and stand by Black communities worldwide in their fight for criminal and judicial system reform. The past 12 days were filled with pain, sadness, fear, and anger. But we must remember that George Floyd’s murder was not unique. Black victims of police brutality and other extrajudicial violence are beyond count, and these numbers will continue to accumulate without changing systems that maintain white supremacist and colonialist ideals. We will never stop grieving. And yet, we must persist.

STEM fields have enjoyed a reputation of absolute meritocracy, untainted by racism or other forms of discrimination. This reputation is underserved. The traditional responses of the scientific community -- such as colorblindness and passivity -- merely sustain the harmful status quo. Eliminating racism takes more than smiles and congeniality. AMS wishes to emphasize its commitment to antiracism and antidiscrimination, and will keep striving to elevate underrepresented populations of the UMN STEM community.

As part of this work, we wish to name the unique pressures faced by black individuals in STEM as they try to maintain productivity despite their grief, anger, and anxiety. This cycle compounds with each tragedy, and underscores the bitter reality that nothing guarantees the safety of themselves, their friends, or their families. We implore allies, including other people of color, to consider helping through these venues:

• Reclaim the Block has a running list of Twin Cities organizations in need of donations.

• Black Lives Matter has thoroughly documented available petitions

We hope public interest in social justice and antiracism does not fade over time. For our part, AMS will continue to push for change with more events, more collaboration with other organizations, and your continued support. We’re in for the long haul, and we hope you are too. Buckle up.

With sincerity and solidarity,

The Association of Multicultural Scientists