Racial Equity
Berkeley Lab senior leadership released Labwide statements on June 1, 2020 and June 10, 2020 about the tragic and horrifying killing of George Floyd and the suffering in our communities–-both locally and nationwide. Berkeley Lab unequivocally rejects and condemns any and all forms of racism and racial injustice. We stand firm in our commitment to creating a laboratory environment where all of our colleagues feel welcomed, respected, and valued.
As a Lab community, we aim to identify changes and take action to advance racial equity within our own institution, including removing barriers to fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement. We commit to adhering to the Lab's policies for non-discrimination, non-harassment, and non-retaliation, including equitable and consistent application of these policies across our organization.
Advancing racial equity also means learning and awareness: Lab colleagues are encouraged to deepen their self-reflection and educate themselves on the experiences of others; learn about biases and microaggressions; and understand concepts related to privilege and racism. We encourage our colleagues to identify ways in which their teams can help advance this vision, to join and support our Employee Resource Groups, and work toward developing and achieving actionable goals and meaningful change.
Good Reads
Research/Science:
The Impacts of Racism and Bias on Black People Pursuing Careers in Science, Engineering, and Medicine (or PDF)- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM)
Ten Simple Rules for Building an Anti-Racist Research Lab - KQED
Boosting the representation of Black students in physics & astronomy - Symmetry
The Time is Now - Systemic Changes to Increase African Americans with Bachelor’s Degrees in Physics and Astronomy - American Institute of Physics
General:
UC Davis Chancellor: George Floyd Could Have Been Me - San Francisco Chronicle
How to Manage Your Team in Times of Political Trauma - Medium
Check in on Your Black Employees, Now - New York Times
U.S. Businesses Must Take Meaningful Action Against Racism - Harvard Business Review
5 ways to start being a better ally for your black coworkers- CNBC
Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup - Pretty Good
Thoughts from your Black colleague - UC Berkeley Blog
Colorblind Ideology Is a Form of Racism - Psychology Today
The 1619 Project - New York Times
The Groundwater Approach: building a practical understanding of structural racism
Allyship & Other Resources
Anti-Racist Resources from the Great Good Science Center at UC Berkeley
Resources to Support Anti-Racist Learning - Great Good Science Center at UC Berkeley
Allyship & Anti-Racism Resources - VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab (Stanford University)
How does Anti-Black Racism Show up in Academia? and Existing Compilations of Resources - #ShutDownSTEM
Podcasts
Black Hastings Speaks - Experiences of Black colleagues at UC Hastings
Seeing White: Scene on Radio - Podcast series on whiteness
The 1619 Podcast - NY Times Podcast
Code Switch - NPR
Videos
The subject of race can be very touchy. As finance executive Mellody Hobson says, it’s a “conversational third rail.” But, she says, that’s exactly why we need to start talking about it. In this engaging, persuasive talk, Hobson makes the case that speaking openly about race — and particularly about diversity in hiring — makes for better businesses and a better society.
Produced by UC Berkeley, RACE—The Power of an Illusion was first broadcast and released back in 2003. The three-part documentary series asks a question so basic it’s rarely raised: What is this thing called ‘race’? What we discovered was that many of our conventional assumptions about race—for instance, that the world's peoples can be divided biologically along racial lines—are wrong. Yet the costs of racism are very real, and can even have biological consequences.
Supervisor Toolkit
The purpose of this toolkit is to guide all people leaders (supervisors, managers, and directors) as you exercise leadership and respond to the needs of your teams during our current and ongoing crises. We need all of the Lab’s leaders to join us in reaching out and listening to your team members and to each other. Together, with your help, we can understand, address, and rectify situations of racial discrimination, prejudice, and inequities within our Lab community.
Discussion Guides
Being color brave means having candid conversations about race that can help us better understand each other’s perspectives and experiences so that we can make better decisions and secure better prospects for future generations. This discussion guide can be used in large and small group meetings and events to generate dialogue and self-awareness on ways to become more color brave. (Click here to view embedded video in the guide.)
Dr. Steve Robbins, a leading expert on diversity and inclusion (D&I), came to Berkeley Lab in 2017 to kick off a yearlong discussion about inclusion. His presentation drew on the areas of cognitive neuroscience, communication, and social psychology to help us better understand how implicit biases—underlying biases of which we may not be aware—affect decisions and behaviors in hiring, promoting, and providing career development. He also shared his insights on insider/outsider culture, and how D&I efforts can be categorized as “social safety work.” His visit was part of Berkeley Lab’s D&I strategy to enhance leadership and staff awareness, and to foster a more respectful and inclusive workplace.
Related Topics
Throughout the IDEAs In Action website you'll find resources such as LinkedIn Learning courses, toolkits, discussion guides, articles, podcasts and One-Minute-for-IDEAs slides on topics related to increasing your self-awareness and being an ally. Topics include:
Other Resources
Mental Health Support for Black and African American Faculty and Staff - Employee Assistance Program
Supporting Our Community - donation and volunteer opportunities
Wellness Resources on IDEA website
Labwide Mental Health Resources - All Access Employee Resources Group