Standing Against Racism
Since the spring of 2020, scientific societies have begun to grapple with the impact that systemic racism has on our members, our science, and our communities. Collectively, we all share a responsibility to expose these hurtful elements of society, to acknowledge their pervasiveness, and to work against them, every day. The Society of Systematic Biologists has been working to create holistic changes that will make the field fo evolutionary biology more welcoming for all. Included with this are the statements below issued by the society in support of our members.
March 2021
The Society of Systematic Biologists, the American Society of Naturalists, and the Society for the Study of Evolution stand in solidarity with the many Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander communities and vehemently condemn acts of domestic terror. To our Asian, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander members: we support and respect you. We will continue the work of transforming our Societies into safe and inclusive places for you, and for all members of our communities.
The murders of Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Ashley Yaun, And Paul Andre Michels in the Atlanta area are symptoms of violent anti-Asian racism, which has only increased since the onset of the pandemic in the United States last year. These events are widespread. Across the country, Asian elders are being attacked in the streets with increasing frequency. Asian and Asian-American communities have been living with heightened anxiety and fear every day. Asian women in particular have been the targets of violent and racist attacks. We are outraged seeing perpetrators of these hate crimes once again excused at the expense of their victims, enabling continuous xenophobic and racist violence in the U.S.
We call on our largely white membership to capitalize on their privilege to support their colleagues. We must deny comfort and complacency in the midst of oppression by engaging in self-reflection and active anti-racism. Be vocal and openly expose and reject racism, prejudice, and exclusion in all forms both inside and outside academic spaces. Please reach out to those you mentor and the students in your classes. Tell them you condemn these acts and share resources where they can get support. Work with your trainees to make your shared spaces safe and welcoming for people of Asian descent. Learn the history of U.S. anti-Asian policy, military occupation, and colonialism at the root of these issues. There are endless resources, but here is one place to start: https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co.
This violence is not external to our community and our scholarship. Some members of our community have been directly harmed, while others, also within our community, have caused some of this harm. There are numerous ways to practice effective allyship and we have provided several useful links below. If you want to learn more, you may be interested in following these Twitter accounts and hashtags: @StopAAPIHate, @AAPIWomenLead, #StopAsianHate, #StopAAPIHate. Professional societies have a substantial role in making shared spaces welcoming and safe for all.
If you have been affected by violence and/or racist actions, please feel free to share your concerns and suggestions with our leadership via this anonymous form or by contacting SSB's Diversity-Equity-Inclusion Director ([email protected]). We need your input, feedback, and criticism to better support all of our scientists, especially those who have been actively excluded for so long. Below we provide details about how you can get more involved.
Get Involved
Recently, SSB established a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee and the members are working diligently to create initiatives that will make our community and the field of evolutionary biology a welcoming and safe place for all. If you are interested in contributing to the DEI mission of SSB, please join the DEI Committee in their open session on March 30 at 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM Eastern Time. Click the link below to register.
Register to attend the SSB DEIC Meeting
Resources
The murders of Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Ashley Yaun, And Paul Andre Michels in the Atlanta area are symptoms of violent anti-Asian racism, which has only increased since the onset of the pandemic in the United States last year. These events are widespread. Across the country, Asian elders are being attacked in the streets with increasing frequency. Asian and Asian-American communities have been living with heightened anxiety and fear every day. Asian women in particular have been the targets of violent and racist attacks. We are outraged seeing perpetrators of these hate crimes once again excused at the expense of their victims, enabling continuous xenophobic and racist violence in the U.S.
We call on our largely white membership to capitalize on their privilege to support their colleagues. We must deny comfort and complacency in the midst of oppression by engaging in self-reflection and active anti-racism. Be vocal and openly expose and reject racism, prejudice, and exclusion in all forms both inside and outside academic spaces. Please reach out to those you mentor and the students in your classes. Tell them you condemn these acts and share resources where they can get support. Work with your trainees to make your shared spaces safe and welcoming for people of Asian descent. Learn the history of U.S. anti-Asian policy, military occupation, and colonialism at the root of these issues. There are endless resources, but here is one place to start: https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co.
This violence is not external to our community and our scholarship. Some members of our community have been directly harmed, while others, also within our community, have caused some of this harm. There are numerous ways to practice effective allyship and we have provided several useful links below. If you want to learn more, you may be interested in following these Twitter accounts and hashtags: @StopAAPIHate, @AAPIWomenLead, #StopAsianHate, #StopAAPIHate. Professional societies have a substantial role in making shared spaces welcoming and safe for all.
If you have been affected by violence and/or racist actions, please feel free to share your concerns and suggestions with our leadership via this anonymous form or by contacting SSB's Diversity-Equity-Inclusion Director ([email protected]). We need your input, feedback, and criticism to better support all of our scientists, especially those who have been actively excluded for so long. Below we provide details about how you can get more involved.
Get Involved
Recently, SSB established a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee and the members are working diligently to create initiatives that will make our community and the field of evolutionary biology a welcoming and safe place for all. If you are interested in contributing to the DEI mission of SSB, please join the DEI Committee in their open session on March 30 at 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM Eastern Time. Click the link below to register.
Register to attend the SSB DEIC Meeting
Resources
- Stop AAPI Hate: https://stopaapihate.org
- Anti-Asian Violence Resources: https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice: https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org
- Learning for Justice: https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/how-to-respond-to-coronavirus-racism
- OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates: https://www.ocanational.org
- Ten simple rules for building an antiracist lab: https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008210
- Bystander Intervention: https://www.ihollaback.org/bystanderintervention
- How to Be an Active Bystander When You See Casual Racism: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/smarter-living/how-to-be-an-active-bystander-when-you-see-casual-racism.html
- SSB, ASN, and SSE Statements Against Racism:
- The tri-society Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committees:
June 2020
The senseless and violent murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd provide our most recent reminder that we live in a world that is racist, cruel, unjust, and dangerous. It was gut wrenching to see what it means to be a Black birder in Central Park, and to realize from Christian Cooper’s experience that many of our colleagues literally risk their lives just to do what most of us routinely do -- and take for granted -- as lovers and students of nature. Collectively, we all share a responsibility to expose these hurtful elements of society, to acknowledge their pervasiveness, and to work against them, every day. SSB stands in solidarity with the victims of racist violence and police brutality, with the anti-racist protestors on the streets right now, and with the entire Black community. Black lives matter.
We are acutely aware that the membership and leadership of SSB is mostly white, and we will work harder to make SSB and our broader community more diverse and welcoming to scientists from all backgrounds. We encourage our members to engage in anti-racism and to get involved right now. There are many ways for white people to become better allies for all people of color, and some are collated here: https://bit.ly/2XWC3gS. Some essential reading and additional anti-racism resources can be found here: http://bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES. While we strongly recommend that our members, leaders, and colleagues engage in these and other materials, we want to emphasize that anti-racist work starts with personal reflection, in asking uncomfortable questions about ourselves and the world in which we are embedded. We must be more vocal in acknowledging white privilege and work actively to improve our response as a community of scholars.
We are going to do more with your feedback, and we are listening. We welcome collaboration from all across our community and want to hear from you. Over the coming weeks we will be working on new initiatives to better support Black scientists.
With this in mind, please provide your feedback using the form linked below.
We are acutely aware that the membership and leadership of SSB is mostly white, and we will work harder to make SSB and our broader community more diverse and welcoming to scientists from all backgrounds. We encourage our members to engage in anti-racism and to get involved right now. There are many ways for white people to become better allies for all people of color, and some are collated here: https://bit.ly/2XWC3gS. Some essential reading and additional anti-racism resources can be found here: http://bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES. While we strongly recommend that our members, leaders, and colleagues engage in these and other materials, we want to emphasize that anti-racist work starts with personal reflection, in asking uncomfortable questions about ourselves and the world in which we are embedded. We must be more vocal in acknowledging white privilege and work actively to improve our response as a community of scholars.
We are going to do more with your feedback, and we are listening. We welcome collaboration from all across our community and want to hear from you. Over the coming weeks we will be working on new initiatives to better support Black scientists.
With this in mind, please provide your feedback using the form linked below.