[GLIMS] Black Lives Matter (clarification)

[Bruce RAUP]

Hello -- me again.

I want to add two things:

1.  My note was prompted by Jeff's message, but my thoughts expanded from
     that initial prompt.  I was not saying he said anything that wasn't
     careful or spot-on.

2.  I just saw today's news from around the world, showing video of many
     similar struggles and protests and statue-tear-downs in various
     countries that I wasn't aware of.  So, our "American cause", as I put
     it, is indeed a global cause of undoing past and continuing wrongs that
     are the legacy of racism, colonialism, and heartless greed.

For the record, GLIMS strongly encourages participation and contributions
from anyone, without regard to ethic, geographic, or genetic origins,
culture, or any of the myriad ways we tend to categorize people.  And as
Jeff so nicely points out, striving toward better diversity and
representation is something our community should be working toward.

Best regards,
Bruce


2020-06-11, 14:29:  Bruce RAUP wrote:

> Hello all,
>
> I share your concerns, Jeff.  I am moved by the protests happening around
> the world in response to deplorable events (and crimes) in the US.  One
> might think that this is mainly a problem in the US, but the context of the
> current problems in the US is a lasting legacy of colonialism and racism
> world-wide.  Internationally, we do have many colleagues not descended from
> Western Europeans, but you're right that glaciology in the US especially is
> not proportionally representative of the general population.
>
> One of the most fundamental things we need to do in the US is to push for
> primary and secondary education to be funded by the national government.
> Education now varies tremendously by postal code.
>
> Even though the world has rallied to our American cause, I think we need to
> be careful in how we talk about this in the international context.  I heard
> someone on the radio say "countries of color", which struck me as odd,
> US-centric, and paternalistic.  Not that you said anything like that,
> Jeff....
>
> Stay tuned here for near-future announcements related to GLIMS and the
> Randolph Glacier Inventory.  :-)
>
> Best regards to all (regardless of what you look like, whom you love, or
> whether you butter your bread on the top or bottom),
>
> Bruce
>
> 2020-06-11, 12:45:  Jeffrey Kargel wrote:
>
>> Dear GLIMS colleagues:
>> With the dramatic increase in awareness about race issues in the U.S. and 
> really around the world in the past couple weeks, it has me thinking a lot 
> about our field's racial
>> composition, at least that in the U.S. It's very clear that our field is 
> nowhere near being racially representative of the racial diversity in the 
> U.S. and around the world.
>> There may be many reasons for that, some out of our control or influence. 
> In my opinion, a lot is in our ability to influence. It would no doubt be a 
> long-term effort to
>> improve diversity in our field to where it should be. But are there steps 
> we can do now? If that's a rhetorical question with an obvious answer, then 
> I'd be interested to see
>> that some steps are taken. It's not my purpose to elicit your responses, 
> but I do seek more people's quiet introspection and then your personal 
> responses in actions to be
>> taken going forward. I know one thing I will do, personally. I will seek 
> out one elementary school and one secondary school and a science teacher in 
> each and just have a
>> discussion. Just start there and see where it goes. What can you do? Maybe 
> some can do more than others, and many can do more than I. You don't need to 
> answer me. Just answer
>> the question yourself.
>> That's my opinion and one of my anguishes in life.
>> Sincerely,
>> Jeff Kargel
>> 
>>
>
>

-- 
Bruce H. RAUP
National Snow and Ice Data Center
University of Colorado
449 UCB,  Boulder, CO 80309
Phone:  303-492-8814
cires.colorado.edu/~braup/
GLIMS:  www.glims.org