UConn’s Department of Geosciences unanimously joins the rest of the university community in proclaiming that Black Lives Matter. We stand in solidarity with this community against both systemic racism and ongoing police brutality. We reach out to support the family, friends, and communities of Black people who have been harmed by racism and police violence, and join them in their civil protests against this injustice. Additionally, we recognize that the communities of Black, Latinx, and Native Americans are also burdened beyond normal by the COVID-19 pandemic as a legacy of racism.

Geosciences as a discipline is a field that lacks racial diversity, both historically and at the present time for conventional reasons inherited through history, and for reasons specific to the field. We dedicate ourselves to creating a welcoming and supportive environment for those committed to confronting racism, discrimination, and injustice at all levels of society, including within our discipline. We also pledge to help UConn students work towards a just future.

We support these national geoscience organizations committed to greater diversity and inclusion within our community:

American Geophysical Union’s Bridge Program

National Association of Black Geologists and Geophysicists

On to the Future

Within UConn, we endorse and support these statements from its Institutes and Centers:

Statement from Centers, Institutes and Programs on Racial Justice

Public Statement on Anti-Black Violence from Africana Studies Institute

Joint Statement from the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center and Human Rights Institute

UConn’s Office for Diversity and Inclusion

Department of Geosciences, University of Connecticut

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