Commitment to Anti-Racism

Black lives matter

The UCI ESS Department stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and are committed to anti-racism and increasing Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) within the geosciences.  The ESS Faculty and student leaders wrote and signed a public commitment to action statement to end anti-Black racism and racism in the geosciences in June 2020. In February 2021, in honor of Black History Month, the ESS Inclusive Excellence committee reaffirmed this commitment to action and provided progress updates on our actions thus far. We welcome your questions and feedback.

Unlearning Racism in Geoscience (URGE)

The NSF-funded URGE program aims 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.”  The ESS URGE pod is actively working to achieve these goals.  Further details about the ESS Pod, including our deliverables can be found here.

The Department of Earth System Science acknowledges our presence on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Acjachemen and Tongva peoples, who still hold strong cultural, spiritual and physical ties to this region.