Black lives’ encounters with the police end, disproportionately, in violence in one form or another. The CAP unequivocally condemns racism of any form in the strongest terms. We stand in solidarity with our members from black and indigenous communities and all who face violence and discrimination.
We re-affirm here our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in physics as described in the statement of values of our strategic plan:
- Excellence in physics is built on diversity of ideas and people. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment where all are welcomed and treated with dignity and respect.
- All members of the CAP will work together to build a culture of inclusion and maintain an environment free from harassment, discrimination and workplace violence. We will work to address systemic barriers and biases so that all individuals and groups have equal opportunity to participate and contribute to the physics community.
As an organization we can and must do better. We commit to being agents of change by supporting actions and organizations that are focused on eliminating barriers faced by Black students, staff and faculty in physics, identifying and addressing bias and anti-Black racism in all activities of the CAP, and working with Tri-Council agencies, physics departments and partner institutions across Canada on an ongoing basis to build an inclusive physics community.
We are here to provide support to anybody who needs it and we encourage our members to reach out if you are a victim of violence or discrimination, or if you witness such behaviour in our community. Please contact us at president@cap.ca or execdir@cap.ca.
If you would like to learn more or would like to support organizations confronting anti-Black racism, here are a few resources. If you have resources you would like us to share, please let us know:
https://www.chrc-ccdp.gc.ca/eng/content/statement-anti-black-racism-canada-time-face-truth
https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#
https://www.dal.ca/faculty/science/imhotep.html
Shohini Ghose
President, Canadian Association of Physicists
published on June 4, 2020