APS Message about Participation in #ShutDownSTEM

#shutdownstem #shutdownacademics #strike4blacklives

APS Executive Director Sarah Brookhart sent the following message to the APS membership on June 9, announcing the society’s participation in the grassroots #ShutDownSTEM, #ShutDownAcademia, and #Strike4BlackLives action and awareness campaigns on June 10.

The Association for Psychological Science (APS) stands in solidarity with our colleagues across all STEM fields and with Black scientists and students who face persistent and systemic barriers to advancement in academic and research institutions. On Wednesday, June 10, we will be participating in the grassroots #ShutDownSTEM, #ShutDownAcademia, and #Strike4BlackLives action and awareness campaigns. For 24 hours, APS headquarters will suspend all normal operations, including journal editing and publishing activities, routine member communications, and other professional staff and volunteer activities.

During this time, we encourage you to take a break from your normal activities to learn more about the demonstrations sweeping the globe, the cultural and institutional inequalities that sparked them, and the steps that are needed to enact meaningful change. You may also wish to read about and discuss psychological science research on racism, and to collect your thoughts on what APS in particular can and should do to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion within our field.

In turn, we are committing to concrete actions that will take place immediately and over the course of the upcoming weeks and months.

The first of these is to open our channels of communication on Thursday, June 11, to receive your ideas and suggestions. Based on this input, APS will plan and execute research-based programming led by a dedicated member of the professional staff. The intended outcome will be data-driven recommendations and actionable resources for the STEM community at large and the psychological science community in particular.  

This time of reflection can lead to meaningful change. We look forward to working with you to bring psychological science to bear on achieving the systemic and institutional reforms that are needed to end racial bias and racism and make diversity, equity, and inclusion the norm moving forward.

Sincerely,

Sarah Brookhart
Executive Director


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