Black Lives Matter

Student in a lab

Faculty, students, postdocs and staff in the Biology Department have been outraged and condemn the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many others. We have expanded upon the contributions of Biology Department community members to statements released by various campus groups, we have reinforced our Department values with this statement.

Systemic racism, including, but not limited to inequitable opportunities for members of the Black community, is part of the fabric of our institutions, including our educational, scientific and health care systems. Excellence in science is enhanced by a diversity of people, perspectives and backgrounds. We recognize the work of many individuals at Brandeis University and in our science programs to build a more equitable and inclusive community. We also recognize that persistent problems continue to exist within our structures, which have been shaped by historic inequities and active harm to marginalized communities, including the erroneous conflation of genetics and race in our own discipline. More and better work needs to be done and this work will benefit from greater attention of faculty and staff in addition to the ongoing work of our students. 

Recognizing racism and privilege within the life sciences and at Brandeis is not enough. We need to take concrete steps to achieve racial justice and therefore, as a department, commit to, and hold ourselves accountable, for the following actions. We will: