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<p class="MsoNormal">Dear physics students, faculty, and staff,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As some of you may know, on Wednesday, June 10, academics around the world participated in #ShutDownSTEM #ShutDownAcademia. The call was to stop working on our usual projects for the day and focus on eradicating anti-Black racism. Of course,
one day is not enough to effect real change.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I would like to form a team within our department consisting of students, faculty, staff, and alumni to continue working for this cause. As a white woman, I am aware of my privilege and do not want to claim leadership of this team. I want
this to be a cooperative effort. We would not be working independently, but rather, we would bring proposals for change to the whole department.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The problems may seem overwhelming, but fortunately, the American Institute of Physics (AIP) has provided guidance in the form of the TEAM-UP report. TEAM-UP is the AIP Task Force to Elevate African American Representation in Undergraduate
Physics & Astronomy. The report can be found here: <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.aip.org_diversity-2Dinitiatives_team-2Dup-2Dtask-2Dforce&d=DwMFAg&c=oqyuZuih6ykib6aKiBq22_bich4AVfYGoLertJN0bEc&r=hjwEO_XYlnwAQWUGeaCrW47w4mK-Al28-BKyRvaivBs&m=hmfmajFnhMkpbxM9Yz-BVE3SI7ddBPgQyzyU7AjY7_0&s=e5J1L55f4ed7GJiRtmu6ib7V3dISebyQJ41YF4ATWbY&e=">
https://www.aip.org/diversity-initiatives/team-up-task-force</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you would like to join the team, please email me, and I will form an email list and organize a first meeting. A first step we can all take is to fill out the Departmental and Self-Assessment Rubric (Appendix 8 of the report) You can
complete it in a Google form here: <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__forms.gle_3VZDMQs22LiiTA5A8&d=DwMFAg&c=oqyuZuih6ykib6aKiBq22_bich4AVfYGoLertJN0bEc&r=hjwEO_XYlnwAQWUGeaCrW47w4mK-Al28-BKyRvaivBs&m=hmfmajFnhMkpbxM9Yz-BVE3SI7ddBPgQyzyU7AjY7_0&s=IWEgy21NG2m0sM5XU1gaohgKNWuxevORdEviOmqsrs4&e=">
https://forms.gle/3VZDMQs22LiiTA5A8</a> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Please reply to me (<a href="mailto:Robynne.lock@tamuc.edu">robynne.lock@tamuc.edu</a>) if you would like to join the effort, and let me know if you have any questions.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">--<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Robynne M. Lock, Ph.D.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Assistant Professor<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Department of Physics & Astronomy<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Texas A&M University - Commerce<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Commerce, TX 75429<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">She/her/hers<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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