MPOWIR Commitment to anti-racism

Dear MPOWIR Community, 

At MPOWIR we repudiate the anti-black racism that led to the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many other African Americans at the hands of police. We hope you will support each other through this difficult time, both through MPOWIR activities such as mentor-groups, and in your own work communities. We encourage you to reach out especially to your Black colleagues and friends, and ask how you can provide support. We also encourage everyone to take a critical look at their own environments and identify changes needed, as systematic change will only be possible through collective efforts at the ground level.

Working in support of underrepresented and marginalized groups, and towards the goal of eliminating all forms of individual and systemic bias, MPOWIR remains committed to: listening and seeking out information, being empathetic, and taking action wherever possible. Racism contributes to the low numbers of Black oceanographers. We encourage you to suggest ways in which MPOWIR can better support Black oceanographers, in addition to oceanographers from other marginalized groups.

To begin the work of eliminating racism from our society and discipline, see the following document for anti-racism resources: bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES

We encourage everyone to actively seek out resources and opportunities to do the work of changing the system. Please send us (sclem@uri.edu) additional anti-racism resources you find useful, and we will compile them on the MPOWIR website.http://mpowir.org/resources/mpowir-library