The USC Postdoctoral Association invites you to stand in solidarity with #ShutDownSTEM. #ShutDownSTEM is an one-day strike taking place on Wednesday June 10th. The initiative was created from a multi-identity, intersectional coalition of STEM professionals and academics advocating for Black lives. The aim of #ShutDownSTEM is to confront racism in our workspaces and to create a more equitable and just community.
By committing to #ShutDownSTEM, you are committing towards education, action, and healing.
Education: Keep learning by reading books and blogs, watching movies, listening to podcast and following the suggested people on social media.
Action: Take responsibility to be actively anti-racist in your spaces of influence. You need to change how things are done and support organization that are continuing this work.
Healing: Racism creates this toxic space and those affected need to heal from it. We need to make time and space for this emotional work to occur.
Take the opportunity to establish a short- and long-term plan to do the work to eradicate racism. The plan should include an actionable goal, steps you will take to reach your goal, and metrics/indicators you will look for to know whether you are successfully moving towards your goal.
For more information please visit: https://www.shutdownstem.com/action
Additional resources and information can be found at: https://www.shutdownstem.com/beginners
USC hosts online vigil for Black lives lost: https://news.usc.edu/171344/usc-online-vigil-black-lives-lost-george-floyd-breonna-taylor/