Since I started Outreach Astronomy, I have been researching diversity in astronomy and planetary sciences. I began to notice right away there clearly must be a lack of inclusion based on the makeup of the people involved in the related topics. One of the more impactful articles I read cited a July 2017 study by the American Geophysical Union (AGU). It said “Women of color working in astronomy and planetary science report more gender and racial harassment than any other gender or racial group in the field, according to a new study revealing widespread harassment in these scientific disciplines. In a survey of workplace experiences among astronomy and planetary science professionals, about 40 percent of women of color reported feeling unsafe in their workplace because of their gender, while 28 percent feel unsafe due to their race.”
Today, I became an associate member of the American Geophysical Union. I overwhelmingly feel compelled to make Outreach Astronomy and all the people I interact with recognize and understand the impact of longstanding discrimination in the scientific community. I personally have commmitted to the “Eight Deliberate Steps AGU is Taking to Address Racism in our Community” which can be found on their web site at AGU.org as well on this web site. These are not just words, but actionable challenges to foster cultural change.
In the future, you will see me put Outreach Astronomy at the forefront of cultural change, and I will be part of the solution.