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Dear Faculty and Staff:

Please join me tomorrow in observing #ShutdownSTEM and #ShutdownAcademia.

These global initiatives on June 10th aim to show solidarity with Black communities and support the call for academic and STEM institutions to take actions to end anti-Black racism.

Please make time on Wednesday to pause and reflect on what we must do individually and collectively to further strengthen our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion within our Departments, Schools and Institutes and across our entire Faculty and University.

I also encourage you to deepen your understanding of anti-Black racism by following #BlackintheIvory and #BlackinSTEM on Twitter and participating in a free online event presented by Anima Leadership from noon to 1:30 p.m. Challenging anti-Black Racism in Organizations will feature a frank conversation with two leading black educators and consultants on what anti-Black racism looks like and how to interrupt it.

I have cancelled a number of meetings tomorrow so I can personally reflect on, and then identify, some specific actions our Faculty of Science can take to ensure students, faculty and staff are not subjected to overt, subtle or silent anti-Black racism.

Undoing anti-Black racism in STEM and academia is our collective responsibility. I hope you will join me in identifying and then implementing solutions that move our Faculty of Science forward with a sense of urgency. Our Black colleagues and students are counting on us to do better, be advocates for change and honour our commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Sincerely,

Maureen MacDonald
Dean, Faculty of Science