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Dear SIAM colleagues and friends:
The SIAM community is feeling deep pain and outrage in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, David McAtee, and the countless Black lives lost before them as a result of police violence.
These killings are a painful reminder of the long legacy of racism and systemic injustice in the United States and throughout the world. We stand in grief and anger with those impacted by these forms of bias, racism, and unequal treatment. We cannot allow anti-black racism to continue. Anti-black racism does not begin and end with these acts of violence, but rather is embedded in structures at all levels of society, including unequal access to education and disparities in health outcomes.
As protests continue globally, we join with others around the world who are developing real and effective ways to confront racism, discrimination, and violence and who are calling for action.
SIAM is committed to fostering equity and inclusion across all demographics. While we have made progress, we recognize that we have a lot further to go. In the words of Fannie Lou Hamer, a leader in the civil rights movement, “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”
Our focus now is on supporting, trusting, and respecting one another as we work together to address the issues that plague our communities and the world. We encourage our members to join in these conversations, listen, and speak out against injustice. We recognize that we are all accountable for making change happen, and we offer our solidarity to those who are deeply impacted, especially our Black colleagues, students, and staff in the SIAM community. We stand with you. Black Lives Matter.
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Lisa Fauci
SIAM President |