URGE - Unlearning Racism in Geoscience

URGE - Unlearning Racism in Geoscience

18-Aug-2021    

Please visit the URGE website for more information about this program. I include it here, having been a participant in this great program and wanting to share this resource with others, but do not take credit for the hard work of its leaders. The URGE website lists 276 different participating organizations!

I helped lead the UNCW Pod comprising earth and marine scientists as we participated in the NSF and Woods Hole-supported Unlearning Racism in Geoscience program. From the URGE website, “URGE’s primary objectives are to (1) deepen the community’s knowledge of the effects of racism on the participation and retention of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people in Geoscience, (2) draw on existing literature, expert opinions, and personal experiences to develop anti-racist policies and strategies, and (3) share, discuss, and modify anti-racist policies and strategies within a dynamic community network and on a national stage.”

A key element of URGE programming is that it emphasized deliverables throughout the 16 main weeks and continued action thereafter. I am working with the Marine Council to keep and gain momentum for several of the UNCW Pod’s key initiatives, including (1) tracking demographic data/transparency around diversity numbers, (2) creation and distribution of a safety plan, including guidance for fieldwork, that explicitly includes a DEI component, and (3) updating and distribution of a resource map to incoming students and faculty.

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