Diversity and Equity

June 2020

We were deeply affected by the horrific murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Dominique Fells, and numerous others, a gruesome illustration of the systemic anti-Black racism that the United States was founded on, and too often continues to run on. We were outraged by the vicious police brutality that has led to many of these murders, and recognize that it is a direct result of an extensive history of white supremacy. We also recognize that police brutality is only the tip of the iceberg, and that mass incarceration, redlining, tokenism, white silence and other myriad macro- and micro-aggressions are manifestations of the racism that has plagued this country since its inception.

Silence is not an option. We denounce white supremacy. We denounce racism. We denounce police brutality. As scientists, we specifically recognize the fundamental role that racism has played in academia, science, and medicine for centuries. From the racist underpinnings of HeLa cells to the abuse of the Tuskegee experiments and intellectual theft of Vivien Thomas, our field has repeatedly been built on white supremacy and injustice. Anti-Black racism persists in science today. Black trainees are discouraged from pursuing academic science. Black academics are discriminated against for academic positions and grant applications. Black people have not only had to live through these constant acts of racism, but have also been overburdened with doing the work to dismantle white supremacy. We are extremely overdue in doing the work to demolish racism, both in academia and in the society at large, and we are dedicating ourselves to do so now. 

We are committing ourselves to develop and sustain an anti-racist, welcoming lab environment for Black and under-represented minority trainees. We are not only taking up the work to do so in our own lab, but we are also devoting ourselves to dismantle anti-Black racism in the larger scientific and academic community that we are a part of. We are committing ourselves to speak out against racism and micro-agressions in our academic workplace as well as in our personal lives. We are additionally educating ourselves on the history of anti-Black racism in America and specifically in science. And we are actively engaged in discussions about actionable items our lab will undertake to combat racism.

In solidarity, 

Arany lab

June 2024

4 years have passed since our call to action above. Much has transpired, and much more needs to be done. Some of our engagements our outlined below.