Today, we stand with the many members of the global academic and STEM communities participating in a #Strike4BlackLives via #ShutDownSTEM and #ShutDownAcademia, using this time to reflect and transition into a lifelong commitment of actions to eradicate anti-Black racism in academia and STEM.
As outlined in this blog from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, “the effort seeks to set aside time for white and non-Black people of color in science and academia to devote time to education and to make plans.”
In support of the movement’s call to stop doing ‘business as usual’ and to focus on education, action, and healing, we want to share resources our own community has found helpful to read, listen to, watch, and learn from, in addition sharing the resources provided on the initiative’s website for learning and for Black people who are seeking healing.
At edX, we’re also reflecting on ways we can better educate ourselves, as a team. Our employee-led DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Council is actively looking for ways to continue to facilitate conversations and offer learning opportunities for edX employees. In addition to the resources above, our team is exploring ways to engage our partner community to develop new, timely content and to work with expert faculty members who can help facilitate conversations.
Of course, one day of learning and reflection is not enough. We’re committed to continuing to provide resources and to being a place for learning and listening, together.
